Epidemiology of training injuries in Abu-Dhabi & Dubai police academy

• Main Author: Alhosani, Reema Mohamed Qasim
• Published: University of Nottingham 2012
• Subjects: 363.23071
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.580171

The overall incidence of injury during training among recruits has been recorded to be in the range 8% to 20% with an injury rate from 10 to 15 per 100 recruits per month. This represents a large burden on academies in terms of recruits' missed training time and resultant decreased fitness together with greatly enhanced academy training costs. A similar situation exists for the training of police recruits but there are little data available to quantify the magnitude of the problem. PURPOSE: To explore the epidemiology of injuries sustained during training among recruits in the Abu-Dhabi and Dubai police academies and to investigate an injury prevention program. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted among recruits joining the Abu-Dhabi & Dubai police academies during the period 2009-2011. Incidence (injuries /recrults-hours) was evaluated in addition to injury severity, location, type, and causes of injuries. RESULTS: A total of 7113 injuries were recorded, of which 4295 (60.4%) were time-loss injuries and 2818 (39.6%) were medical attention injuries. The overall incidence of injury was 6.3-12.5 injuries 11000 recruit-hours for time-loss injury and 1- 5.1 injuries/1000 recruit-hours for medical attention injury. Seventy one percent of injuries affected the lower limbs. Muscle, tendon, and bone pathologies were the most common types of conditions encountered. Eighty three percent of the injuries were gradual onset in nature. Sixty four percent of injuries were of minimal severity. Physical workload at all stages of the training programme was assessed and an injury prevention programme based on a staged increased in workload during the early stages of training has been conducted however, show no significant changes in injury reduction. CONCLUSION: Incidence of injuries among recruits resembles that amongst athletes undertaking endurance exercises, but lower than few athletes involved with contact sports. Lower limb injuries were the commonest encountered injuries, however, of minimal severity.