Characteristics of training injuries in college freshmen during a 200-km trek

Abstract

Objective To provide references for scientific training and medical care by investigating the characteristics and influencing factors of the training injuries of the freshmen in a military medical university during their long-distance trek training. Methods The medical data of the injuries for 318 freshmen during the trekking from October 10 to 19, 2019 were collected and analyzed with cross-sectional study. Then 60 male freshmen who used insoles and another 60 who did not were retrospectively recruited as insole group and control group, respectively to observed the incidence and numbers of foot blisters during the training. In addition, the onset time of the acute gastroenteritis outbreak were also studied with in-depth analysis. Results For the 318 freshmen taking part in the whole training, there were totally 813 admissions for medical support, with a rate of 255.66%. The common injuries included foot blisters, soft tissue injuries, upper respiratory tract infection, acute gastroenteritis and abrasion. And the number of medical visits for the first 4 causes took up to 600, accountting for 73.90% of the total diagnosis and treatment. Besides, the insole significantly decreased the rate and number of foot blisters (P=0.006). Contaminated drinking water was the main cause of acute gastroenteritis. The incidences of various injuries showed obvious relationship with the training plan. Conclusion The injury spectrum and injury characteristics of the freshmen in a long-distance trek training show certain rules, with foot blisters, soft tissue injuries, upper respiratory tract infection and acute gastroenteritis most common. Insole use could effectively prevent the occurrence of foot blisters. And paying attention to drinking water hygiene is useful to prevent acute gastroenteritis outbreak.

Keywords

• trek
• students
• wound and injury
• blister
• acute gastroenteritis