Examining Lower Quadrant Overuse Injury Using Wearable Sensors: A Case Series in Indoor Team-Based Court Sports

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is increasing literature about using wearable sensors to predict sports-related injury at the team- or league-level; however, minimal research has focused on single cases. Sports-related injury involves a complex interaction of multiple variables, and analysis should also be explored on the individual level. The purpose of this case series is to evaluate differences in on-court volume, as measured by whole-body accelerometry, of 3 court-sport athletes who sustained lower quadrant overuse musculoskeletal injuries to respective healthy matched controls. CASE PRESENTATION: A retrospective review of 3 collegiate athletes (2 males, 1 female) who developed lower quadrant overuse injuries and comparisons to healthy matched controls. OUTCOME AND FOLLOW-UP: The injured female volleyball athlete had greater accumulated player load per minute, jumps per minute, and duration of on-court time compared to the healthy athlete across the 8 weeks prior to injury. For basketball, both injured male athletes had greater player load per minute compared to their controls; however, jumps per minute were less than the healthy athletes over the 8 weeks prior to injury. DISCUSSION: Differences in accelerometer data were found between injured athletes and healthy matched controls. Analyzing the data to focus on single cases in a longitudinal framework allows for contextual factors to be included and temporal precedence to remain intact. JOSPT Cases 2023;3(3):174-184. Epub: 10 July 2023. doi:10.2519/josptcases.2023.11636