Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

Released: Wed 10-Jul-2002, 00:00 ET  Printer-friendly Version

Academy's Weight Training Survey Targets Active Men and Women

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons wants to know whether or not you have sustained an injury related to your weight training program. By responding to the online survey (www.aaos.org), you will be rewarded with tips, guidelines and exercises to reduce your injury risk.

The Academy is conducting a survey about weight training programs, techniques, instruction and injury prevalence to determine the most common types of injuries related to weight training for men and women. This information will then be used to determine what additional injury prevention guidelines need to be developed.

To participate in the online survey, which runs through August 15, go directly to http://grassroots.aaos.org/surveys/60895.pdf.

Those who complete the survey are given a link to a list of Academy weight training tips, fact sheets, brochures and exercises, which can be downloaded, free of charge. Results of the sports survey will be released in October.

In the year 2000, more than 197,000 injuries in the U.S. were treated at doctor's offices, clinics, and hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to weight training, according to the U.S. Product Safety Commission. The costs including medical, work loss, pain and suffering and legal and liability well exceed over $2.8 billion.

The survey rates knowledge about weightlifting/training techniques, instruction and safety issues. The survey also asks participants the types of injuries that were sustained, the severity of the injury and how the injury was treated.

The Academy is interested in how many injuries have occurred and to what body part, i.e. knee, shoulder, hip, back, wrist, etc. The survey asks individuals if they have sustained a strain or sprain, or torn ligament, etc., as a result of a weight training program and the resulting behavioral change

An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical doctor with extensive training in the diagnosis and nonsurgical as well as surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

The 25,500-member Academy is a not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals and the public.

An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade(www.boneandjointdecade.org), the global initiative in the years 2000-2010 to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve people's quality of life.