Prevalence and patterns of injuries among swimmers at Sir Apollo Kaggwa schools
Abstract
The study sought to assess the prevalence and patterns of injuries among swimmers at Sir Apollo Kaggwa Schools. The following objectives guided the study: to find out the common swimming injuries sustained by the swimmers, to relate the type of injury sustained with the stroke of swimming carried out by swimmers and identify injury preventive measures put in place by the Sir Apollo Kagwa Schools towards safe swimming as a sport. The study adopted a cross-sectional design in ascertaining the prevalence of swimming injuries among swimmers at Sir. Apollo Kagwa schools. The researcher used the Purposive sampling as well as Convenience sampling when selecting the sampling units for the study. When using Purposive sampling, the researcher used prior knowledge to choose respondents who best represented the population of study. As for Convenience sampling, all those who were accessible and available on the day of data collection were included in the study. Data was collected using open and close ended questionnaires.
The results show that the commonest types of injuries affected swimmers are tendinopathy 33(28.0%). It was also revealed that the major the major form of injury associated with freestyle stroke of swimming is the tendinopathy, breast stroke swimming is dislocation, backstroke is the ligament rupture and for buffer fly stroke is sprain. It was also concluded that the most preventive measure towards injuries experienced during swimming is icing the injury.
It was recommended that swimmers need to learn better swimming strokes as a way of avoiding injuries that can stop their swimming career. It was recommended that Swimming Associations need to sensitize better swimming practices to swimmers in order to enhance them love their sports since it can be their future source of income. It was recommended that schools with swimming pools should provide students with good coaches in order to help them understand strategies of overcoming injuries affecting their profession.