685 EP067 – Preparing for Paris: injury monitoring in flemish track and field athletes on their road to the olympic games

Background Knowledge of injury profiles within athletics is important for the development of targeted prevention programs at the elite level. To date, no epidemiological data regarding injury during competition or training is known in Flemish athletes. Objective Improve injury prevention programs by describing injuries in Flemish track and field athletes during a two-year follow-up Design Prospective cohort study Setting Elite track and field training center in Ghent, Belgium. Real life and online athlete monitoring. Patients 193 competitive track and field athletes, M (n=115)/F (n=78), 16–40y, selected as elite athlete by the Flemish Athletics League Interventions Observational study: A cohort of elite athletes will be followed prospectively for two years (oct 2022-oct 2024). The team medical personnel of the Flemish Athletics League will record all injuries during this time, following consensus-based methods (OSIICS classification). Also, all athletes will be asked to fill in a weekly questionnaire concerning well-being and training time loss caused by illness or injury (OSTRC-questionnaire). Main outcome measures Injury mode of onset (acute and overuse), time loss, incidence of injury and burden of injury by tissue type and body area. Results Ongoing study. First data analysis from oct 2022 until aug 2023 showed following main results: -Number 137 injuries recorded: estimated prevalence of 0,85 injuries/athlete/year -Mode of onset: 38% acute injuries, 47% chronic gradual onset injuries; 15% chronic acute onset injuries -Location 26% thigh, 18% ankle, 14% foot/toe -Time loss OSTRC questionnaire showed that more than one in seven planned trainings had to be reduced or canceled due to injury or illness Conclusions Our preliminary results are in line with other studies. Thigh muscle injuries (especially the hamstrings) contain more than 25% of all injuries. Track and field injury prevention programs should certainly focus on thigh, ankle, and foot, as these are the most commonly reported injury locations.