# Epidemiology of Injury Compilants in Elite Sprinting Athletes in Athletics (Track and Field)
## 4 Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline  &
\begin{tabular}{c} **Total One-Year** \\ **Period Injuries** \\ \end{tabular} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Muscle**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Tendon**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Ligament**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Bone**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Articular**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Nerve**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Skin**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Others**} \\  & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline Trunk & 3 & (6.4) & 1 & (2.1) & 1 & (2.1) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 1 & (2.1) \\ \hline Hip and groin & 1 & (2.1) & 1 & (2.1) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) \\ \hline Hamstring & 14 & (29.8) & 10 & (21.3) & 3 & (6.4) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 1 & (2.1) \\ \hline Quadriceps & 1 & (2.1) & 1 & (2.1) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) \\ \hline Adductors & 2 & (4.3) & 2 & (4.3) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) \\ \hline Knee & 3 & (6.4) & 0 & (0.0) & 2 & (4.3) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 1 & (2.1) \\ \hline Lower leg & 11 & (23.4) & 6 & (12.8) & 5 & (10.6) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) \\ \hline Ankle & 8 & (17.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 8 & (17.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) \\ \hline Foot & 4 & (8.5) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 2 & (4.3) & 0 & (0.0) & 0 & (0.0) & 1 & (2.1) & 1 & (2.1) \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 4: _Cont._is similar [4]. In any case, the present results highlight the need to pursue efforts towards injury risk reduction. The present injury complaint characteristics are in agreement with previous studies reporting that athletes participating in athletics disciplines requiring sprinting suffer more from lower limb muscle injuries, and especially hamstring muscle injuries [3; 4; 6; 7; 21; 22; 23]. Indeed, hamstring muscle injuries are often reported as the first injury diagnosis in athletics, especially in disciplines involving sprinting [3; 4; 6; 7; 21; 22; 23]. This is consistent with biomechanical constraints of sprinting. Such disciplines mainly involve the lower limb muscles, and especially the hip extensor muscles, including hamstring muscles, to generate the forces required to increase or maintain the running velocity [24; 25]. Such biomechanical constraints can lead to specific injury patterns [4; 7]. Indeed, previous studies reported that the proportion of hamstring muscle injuries increased with the increase in running velocity required by athletics disciplines [4; 7]. During international athletics championships, hamstring muscle injuries were the most prevalent injury in the disciplines of sprints, with 59% and 52% of all lower limb muscle injuries and 12.7 and 25.1 injuries per 1000 registered athletes in female and male athletes, respectively. Our results confirm that hamstring muscle injury risk reduction represents a top-priority target of injury risk reduction efforts in athletics. In order to improve these injury risk reduction strategies, there is probably a need to better understand sprinting mechanics, and use this in injury risk reduction strategies [26]. For hamstring injuries in particular, there is also probably a need to better understand the athletics-specific injury risk factors and mechanisms, which are limited in contrast with other sports [27]. This reinforces the need to continue efforts to develop athletics-specific injury risk reduction strategies, which are, to our knowledge, extrapolated from other sports and/or without scientific evaluation in athletics [4; 7; 28; 29; 30]. Some limitations should be acknowledged when it comes to interpreting the present data. The number of included athletes could be considered modest, which does not allow comparative analyses; however, this sample of athletes corresponds to elite athletes being, by definition, not numerous.