BU Research Blog

Injury tracking study – recruitment poster

Researchers from the Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Science have recently launched a study, delivered in collaboration with SportBU, to identify factors associated with injury incidence in BU varsity athletes.

The study, led by Dr Louise Burgess and Kate Rattley, in collaboration with Dr Chloe Casey, Rosie Harper and MSc student Ellie Cox, aims to identify lifestyle and health factors that may lead to an increase in injury risk in athletes. The survey asks injured athletes to complete validated questionnaires on factors related to their health and wellbeing in the time leading up to their injury (for example, sleep, nutrition, stress, wellbeing, alcohol intake and factors related to the menstrual cycle) and specific details about their injury (for example, type, severity, playing surface).

TeamBU athletes – Men’s rugby

Dr Louise Burgess, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science, said: “This study aims to collect data over several seasons of varsity sport, to identify potential correlates of injury risk, and inform future injury prevention strategies within the University. It’s exciting to collaborate with the performance sport department at BU and collect data that will have a meaningful impact on student experience.”

Kate Rattley, PhD student, said: “It’s really important to increase availability of information for athletes on how they can reduce injury risk both in advance of and during game play. There’s been fantastic progress in elite sport and it’s important this information filters down to all levels of sport. Part of this research aims to increase high quality data in relation to women’s health and performance and this study presents an exciting opportunity for Bournemouth University and TeamBU to contribute to this rapidly evolving field.”

TeamBU athletes – Women’s hockey

Michael Barry, Assistant Head of Sport (Student Sport and Outreach) said: “We’re excited to support this important collaboration with academics at BU. The performance pathway at the University continues to grow and injury surveillance data is vital to reduce the time spent away from sport and learning due to injury, to enhance student experience. We offer a unique range of support to our athletes through S&C and performance lifestyle advise as part of the TeamBU programme, and collecting further data on potential causes of injury will inform the services we offer.”

For more information on the study, please contact lead researchers Dr Louise Burgess (lburgess@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Kate Rattley (krattley@bournemouth.ac.uk).