In this article, we will discuss wrong information and injuries.
When you have a muscle-related injury, what do you turn to for information?
There are many ways to get information such as acquaintances, experts, hospitals, the internet, etc., and it depends on each person what to trust.
Compared to a few decades ago, the accuracy of information on the Internet seems to have improved, partly due to the widespread use of the Internet, but I think there are many people who feel that it is not as reliable as books or experts.
For one thing, when highly specialized information is published in books, there is always a supervisor, and research papers are peer-reviewed to check the accuracy of the information.In the case of the Internet and general health information, there is insufficient confirmation of this kind of information, and it is thought that inaccurate information is rampant.
As a side note, all health information in this blog is based on research results, so the accuracy of the information is not a problem.
The research
The public's understanding of musculoskeletal health may be influenced by media coverage, such as when a prominent athlete is injured.
Researchers assessed controversial or potentially misleading factors in sports media coverage of illnesses in professional and collegiate athletes.
They identified and evaluated 200 internet media reports on musculoskeletal diseases in prominent athletes from February 19 to March 26, 2018.
We documented whether there was medical evidence on mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.We then categorized these statements as accurate, controversial, or potentially misleading.
A multivariable logistic regression model was created to identify factors independently associated with controversial or potentially misleading statements.
The results showed that 45% of the published information was controversial or potentially misleading.
Diagnosis: odds ratio = 0.17
Treatment: OR = 0.33
Prognosis: OR = 0.27
The description of shoulder and elbow disorders was found to be inaccurate compared to the description of the injury mechanism and the description of knee disorders.
Discussion
The results showed that musculoskeletal disorders related to sports injuries were more often written incorrectly for shoulder and elbow.
According to the researchers, this may be because knee and ankle disorders are more likely to be caused by trauma than shoulder and elbow problems, and because they have a higher incidence, making it easier to collect information. He mentioned that this may be because shoulder and elbow injuries are often caused by direct trauma.
Shoulders and elbows are often injured due to functional disorders rather than direct trauma, so it is possible that inaccurate information is being raised in these explanations.In my opinion, the number of people who are not clear about the criteria for injury, rehabilitation, and healing for each part of the body is increasing.
The reason I feel this way is because, although I see trauma most of the time in my job, the judo therapy industry is in decline, and there is a strong tendency for judo therapists to shift to other, more lucrative areas of work.
I think it is positive to take in knowledge and skills from other sources, but there is no end to the number of people who tell their patients things that confuse the doctors in the system of diagnosis and treatment.
Patients are concerned that their treatment plan will not work if the doctor's suggestion is not in line with what they believe in, and that their healing plan will be ruined.
On the other hand, there are those who are dissatisfied with their doctors' misdiagnosis and response to their problems, etc., and have consulted non-medical health product vendors and others who are satisfied with their treatment plan.
Both sides are the same, but I believe that if you are going to disseminate information, you need to check the source and send out highly accurate information.
Especially for those who belong to highly influential media, I would like them to do proper research before reporting.
Haidar LA, Kortlever JTP, Ring D. Misinformation in News Coverage of Professional and College Athlete Musculoskeletal Ailments. Arch Bone Jt Surg. 2020 ;8(1):33-37. doi:10.22038/abjs.2019.34844.1916
Conclusion
According to the results of the study, about half of the misinformation about musculoskeletal diseases on the Internet was misinformation.
It seems that some people are overloaded with information because information is always available, so it's up to you to choose what information you want to read.
Some psychological studies have suggested that people have a habit of saving their brains when making decisions, and take in information that is biased to their own preferences.
It seems that we need to use our brains a little more.
