Evaluation of the Factors Associated with Knee Injuries among Guilan Athletes

The knee is the most commonly injured joint by adolescent athletes. Since there is almost no published study reporting the type and frequency of knee injuries among Iranian athletes، this study is sought to fill the mentioned gap. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of knee injuries among the patients presented to Sports Medicine Committee of Guilan Province from 2010 to 2012. Of the 2035 patients، 1409 injuries (69. 2%) were associated with the knee joint. 68. 1% of those patients were men and 31. 6% were women. After recording the demographic characteristics and physical examination، plain antero-posterior and lateral radiographs were performed، if necessary، and in the suspected diagnosis، further evaluation such as MRI and arthroscopy were performed. ACL tear was the most common cause of internal knee injuries (44. 7%)، followed by medial meniscus (23. 5%) and lateral meniscus (21. 6%). Almost half of the patients were between the ages of 20-29 (43%). Despite the smaller number of women، the rate of ACL tears was significantly higher in them than that in men. The most common sports associated with internal knee injuries were soccer/futsal (56%) and martial arts (31%). The highest risk for ACL injury in male and female athletes was observed while performing soccer (66%) and martial arts (89%)، respectively. Knowledge of the epidemiology and specific pattern of injury of the knee joint during sports may help prevent، diagnose، and treat knee joint injuries. Conflict of interest: non declared