The association between overuse and musculoskeletal injuries and the female athlete triad in Division I collegiate athletes

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionAlthough the female athlete triad (Triad) has been associated with increased risk of bone‐stress injuries (BSIs), limited research among collegiate athletes has addressed the associations between the Triad and non‐BSI injuries.ObjectiveTo elucidate the relationship between Triad and both BSI and non‐BSI in female athletes.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingPrimary and tertiary care student athlete clinic.ParticipantsNational Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female athletes at a single institution.InterventionParticipants completed a pre‐participation questionnaire and dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry, which was used to generate a Triad cumulative risk assessment score (Triad score). The number of overuse musculoskeletal injuries that occurred while the athletes were still competing collegiately were identified through chart review.Main Outcome MeasureBSI and non‐BSI were treated as count variables. The association between BSI, non‐BSI, and Triad score was measured using Poisson regression to calculate rate ratios.ResultsOf 239 athletes, 43% of athletes (n = 103) sustained at least one injury. Of those, 40% (n = 95) sustained at least one non‐BSI and 10% (n = 24) sustained at least one BSI over an average follow‐up 2.5 years. After accounting for sport type (non‐lean, runner, other endurance sport, or other lean advantage sport) and baseline age, we found that every additional Triad score risk point was associated with a significant 17% increase in the rate of BSI (rate ratio [RR] 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.33; p = .016). However, Triad score was unrelated to non‐BSI (1.00, 95% CI 0.91–1.11; p = .99). Compared with athletes in non‐lean sports (n = 108), athletes in other lean advantage sports (n = 30) had an increased rate of non‐BSI (RR: 2.09, p = .004) whereas distance runners (n = 46) had increased rates of BSI (RR: 7.65, p < .001) and non‐BSI (RR: 2.25, p < .001).ConclusionsHigher Triad score is associated with an increased risk of BSI but not non‐BSI in collegiate athletes.