Adolescents' experience with sports-related pain and injury: A systematic review of qualitative research

Niamh Sheehan; Ryan  Summersby; C M Bleakley; Brian  Caulfield; Mark Matthews; Natalie Klempel; Sinead Holden

doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.05.003

Adolescents' experience with sports-related pain and injury: A systematic review of qualitative research

Niamh Sheehan
, Ryan Summersby
, C M Bleakley
, Brian Caulfield
, Mark Matthews
, Natalie Klempel
, Sinead Holden

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

450 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this review is to synthesise qualitative studies examining adolescents’ experience with pain
and injury arising from sports participation.
Methods: This review was registered on Open Science Framework prior to data extraction. A systematic search of
PubMed, Embase, and SPORTDiscus was conducted. Studies were appraised using the CASP (critical appraisal
skills programme) checklist. Data was synthesised using a meta aggregation.
Study selection criteria: Inclusion criteria included studies related to adolescents aged 14–19yrs with sports related
pain/injury, employed a qualitative design, full text publications in English.
Results: Sixteen studies of 216 participants were included. Studies investigated severe knee injuries, concussion,
or other musculoskeletal injuries. Synthesised findings show that, regardless of injury type, adolescents experience a mix of positive (motivation to rehab and return to sport, optimism) and negative emotions (fear of reinjury, isolation, depressive responses) throughout recovery. Common coping strategies were to ignore symptoms, modify activity levels, or seek support.
Conclusion: Sports-related pain and injury has a multifaceted effect on the adolescent athlete. There is a pervasive
fear of re-injury and social isolation, but the desire to return to sports is facilitated through motivation and
support. Peer motivation effects the willingness of the adolescent to persist with rehabilitation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	7-21
Number of pages	15
Journal	Physical Therapy in Sport
Volume	68
Early online date	3 Jun 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.05.003
Publication status	Published online - 3 Jun 2024

Bibliographical note

Ethical approval was not required for this review. As this was a review no human subjects were recruited for this study.

Data Availability Statement

All data relevant to the study are included in the article or are
available as supplementary files.

Funding

This review was part of a collection of projects on adolescent sports injuries known as ‘RID Injury’. This project received funding from the Higher Education Authority for this research as part of the North South Research Programme in Ireland.

Funders
Higher Education Authority

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

Adolescent Experiences
Qualitative Synthesis
Meta Agression
Concussion Experience
Sports Injury
Concussion experience
Adolescent experiences
Qualitative synthesis
Meta aggregation
Sports injury

Access to Document

10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.05.003Licence: CC BY

1-s2.0-S1466853X24000543-mainFinal published version, 1.59 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "Objective: The aim of this review is to synthesise qualitative studies examining adolescents{\textquoteright} experience with pain and injury arising from sports participation. Methods: This review was registered on Open Science Framework prior to data extraction. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and SPORTDiscus was conducted. Studies were appraised using the CASP (critical appraisal skills programme) checklist. Data was synthesised using a meta aggregation. Study selection criteria: Inclusion criteria included studies related to adolescents aged 14–19yrs with sports related pain/injury, employed a qualitative design, full text publications in English. Results: Sixteen studies of 216 participants were included. Studies investigated severe knee injuries, concussion, or other musculoskeletal injuries. Synthesised findings show that, regardless of injury type, adolescents experience a mix of positive (motivation to rehab and return to sport, optimism) and negative emotions (fear of reinjury, isolation, depressive responses) throughout recovery. Common coping strategies were to ignore symptoms, modify activity levels, or seek support. Conclusion: Sports-related pain and injury has a multifaceted effect on the adolescent athlete. There is a pervasive fear of re-injury and social isolation, but the desire to return to sports is facilitated through motivation and support. Peer motivation effects the willingness of the adolescent to persist with rehabilitation. ",

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Adolescents' experience with sports-related pain and injury: A systematic review of qualitative research

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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