Epidemiological Investigation Of Achilles Tendinopathy Among High-level Athletes Of Shandong Province

ObjectiveThis paper is to make clear about the cause of Achilles Tendinopathy among high-level athletes by the analysis of case-control in the epidemiological investigation of Achilles Tendinopathy among high-level athletes in Shandong Province.MethodsThe research group uses cross-sectional study to estimate the high-level athletes of Shandong Province. One thousand seventeen high-level athletes are screened preliminarily in the form of questionnaires. Experts constituted by sports medical professionals, orthopedic surgeons make a definite diagnosis to the athletes who have positive symptoms during the preliminary screening and calculate the prevalence rate. Then the research group will give a statistical analysis about the findings by using case-control analytical method. Fourty seven patients from 119 athletes who diagnosed with Achilles Tendinopathy as the group of tendinopathy, thereinto, there are 35 males and 12 females with 1~2 years duration of the disease whose average age is(20.53±1.23), extracting 94 high-level athletes who have no tendinopathy as control group according to the ratio of 1:2 and the matching factors including ages, genders and majors; giving a single-factor case-control matching analysis on the factors which including BMI(Body Mass Index), the duration of exercise, the ways of jumping, instability of ankle joints, the traumas on ankle joints and so on, while giving a general statistical analysis on the factors which including the number of people and prevalence rate in different majors, the corresponding relationship between the leg used to jump and the injury of achilles tendon; at last establishing the relevant factors of Achilles Tendinopathy with statistical significance after chi-square test. All data are processed by SPSSsoftware 16.0. Results1. statistical results of prevalence: the prevalence rate of Achilles Tendinopathy among high-level athletes in Shandong province is 11.7%, thereinto, the prevalence rate of male and female is respectively 12.37% and 10.26%, the prevalence rate of athletes who major in track and field(e.g. sprint, middle-distance race, high jump, long jump and 110-metre hurdle)is 14.9%, the prevalence rate of athletes who major in ball games(e.g. basketball, football, volleyball and table tennis)is 12.9%, the prevalence rate of gymnast is 10.3% and other athletes(e.g. martial arts, taekwondo and free combat) is 4.8%. 2. statistical results of case-control studies about relevant factors of Achilles Tendinopathy: ① the prevalence rate of Achilles Tendinopathy among high-level athletes who come from different majors is various(χ2=15.252,P=0.002), the rankings of prevalence rate about Achilles tendinopathy among high-level athletes who come from different majors from high to low are athletes who major in track and field, who major in ball games, gymnast and other athletes. ② The BMI between groups of cases and controls has no significant difference(t=1.213,P=0.227). ③ There are significant differences between the groups of cases and controls on the duration of exercise, the occurrence of Achilles Tendinopathy among athletes has to do with the fact that their duration of exercise is too long(χ2=10.890,P=0.001), through the risk analysis of case-control studies which are matching designed OR=2.862, 95% confidence interval of OR is [1.277-6.416]. ④ There is no significant difference between the groups of cases and controls on the ways of jumping(single-leg or double-leg jumping, twist jumping, etc.).(χ2=1.833 P=0.176,χ2=0.000 P=1.00,χ2=0.000 P=1.00) ⑤ The occurrence of Achilles Tendinopathy among athletes has to do with the single-leg jumping(chi-square testχ2=5.320,P=0.021;kappa analysis, kappa value = 0.348,P=0.021). ⑥ There are significant differences about instability of ankle joints between the groups of cases and controls, the occurrence of Achilles Tendinopathy among athletes has to do with the instability of their ankle joints(χ2=25.962, P=0.000). ⑦ There are significant differences about whether having any history of trauma on ankle joints or not between the groups of cases and controls, The occurrence of Achilles Tendinopathy among athletes has to do with the traumas on ankle joints(χ2=25.806, P=0.000) case or control. ⑧ Results of other factors: among the 1017 athletes, there are three samples of patients with rheumatic disease and one sample of diabetes, which have no relevant evidence of Achilles Tendinopathy. There is no case related to quinolones in the confirmed cases of Achilles Tendinopathy. ConclusionThe prevalence rate of Achilles tendinopathy among high-level athletes in Shandong province is 11.75%, thereinto, the prevalence rate of male and female is respectively 12.37% and 10.26%, the prevalence rate of athletes who major in track and fieldis 14.9%, the prevalence rate of athletes who major in ball gamesis 12.9%, the prevalence rate of gymnast is 10.3% and other athletes is 4.8%.The high risk factors which determine the epidemiology of Achilles Tendinopathy among athletes including the types of sports, duration of exercise, ways of jumping(single-leg jumping), instability of ankle joints, history of trauma on ankle joints and so on.