Abstract

This article is one of a series of sports injury studies that applied the principles of epidemiology, biostatistics, and clinical medicine to analyze causes and patterns of injuries sustained by athletes. The series exemplifies the field of sports traumatology. The Research Committee of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine undertook the task of developing valid methodologies to analyze sports injuries. This article illustrates adequate research design, definition of terms, control of populations, and appropriate statistical methods. The reader should be able to detect the modifications applied in this study in contrast to the design and other factors which are inadequate in many of the sports injury studies previously published. To design, conduct, and monitor a sports injury study, a multidiscipline team of experts must work together. The work of such a team is reflected in this study. The research was funded by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation. Verf.-Referat