Table 4. Absence from sport and/or work by referral group (%) Referred Total population (n = 225) Absence from sport None 0–1 week 1–3 weeks 3–13 weeks >13 weeks Absence from work None 0–1 weeks >1 week Unknown Note: ‡Chi-square test. Abbreviation: GP, general practitioner. tions were examined. In the present study, the definition of sports injury was extended to include a sports-related injury connected with a previous examination in general practice.12 All complaints or injuries involving the locomotor system that developed during or outside sporting activities and impeded the patient in his/her sports performance3,12–15 were taken into account. All four groups were compared using analysis of variance (age) and Chi-square tests (gender, sport practice, development of complaints, prevalence of sports-related problems, and absence from sport or work). Prevalence, proportions, and categories of all variables were, when possible, tested between all groups using a two-sided Chi-square test. A P value ,0.05 was considered to be statistically significant, using a power of 0.80. In the event that the Chi-square test did not satisfy the required assumptions, only the distribution (without a P level) is shown. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 16.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). Results A total of 241 patients consulting for the first time were examined by three sports physicians and one sports physician in training during September 2010. Of these patients, seven were excluded due to missing data and 234 patients were included. Table 1 shows the basic characteristics of the study population by referral group. The mean age of the total population was 33.7 (range 10–77) years. Of all patients, 59.1% were male and 6.8% were professional or high-level athletes. Of the registered sports-related injuries, 43.3% were of an acute nature and the remainder had developed over time. Referral groups Self-referrers (group 4) represented 39.3% of incoming patients during the sports physician’s consulting hours. All other patients were referred by general practitioners (42.2%), physiotherapists/paramedics (12.2%), or other medical specialists (6.5%). There were no significant differences in age, gender, or development of injuries between the four groups (Table 1). Referred patients had received significantly more previous treatment for their presenting complaints than the self-referrers (P = 0.00). Types of sports The sports most often practiced were soccer and running. Compared with patients referred by general practitioners, the self-referrers (group 4) included more runners and fewer soccer players (Tables 2A and 2B) and significantly more athletes practicing individual sports than team sports (P = 0.049). Diagnoses Table 3 lists the most frequently occurring diagnoses in the total study population. Patellofemoral pain syndrome, Achilles tendinitis, and an anterior cruciate ligament lesion nummer 1 | maart 2013 | Sport & Geneeskunde 29 33.3 4.9 6.2 16.9 38.7 66.7 1.3 7.1 24.9 Self-referrers 37.2 9.3 7.0 19.8 26.7 65.2 3.4 5.6 25.8 Referred by GP 31.2 2.1 5.2 17.7 43.8 66.0 0 8.5 25.5 byphysiotherapist/paramedic 25.0 3.6 10.7 14.3 46.4 78.6 0 3.6 17.9 Referred bymedicalspecialist 40.0 0 0 0 60.0 57.1 0 14.3 28.6 0.052‡ 0.11‡ P value Pagina 28
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