/library/oar/handle/123456789/116388 Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:39:45 GMT 2026-06-10T21:39:45Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/116470 Title: Malta Journal of Health Sciences : volume 10 : issue 2 Authors: Spiteri, Georgette; Gatt, Daniela; Lungaro-Mifsud, Stephen; Scerri, Josianne; Couto, Jose Guilherme; Formosa, Melissa Marie; Trapani, Josef; Pavli, Foteini Abstract: Table of contents: 1/ Carmel J. Caruana - About developing a new profession – Medical Physics in Malta 2/ David Saliba - Postgraduate Graduation Ceremony Oration, March 2023 3/ Tonio P. Agius, Nicole G. Lia, Sandro Vella & Anabel Sciriha - The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Injuries in Tennis Players: A Case Study Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/116470 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/116469 Title: About developing a new profession – medical physics in Malta Authors: Caruana, Carmel J. Abstract: Developing a new profession is not easy – and in a small, insular, island state, it is even more difficult. You knock on many doors – the response is always the same: “Medical Physics, what’s that?” They don’t even give you the time of day. Of course, in hindsight, it was to be expected when most administrators’ knowledge of physics was limited to Physics SEC level and Newton’s laws of motion. You are mocked when armed with a short well-crafted presentation you land at the Ministry of Health ready to do your bit to help ensure the effective and safe use of medical devices and physical agents (sources of energy such as x-rays, ultrasound, lasers) in Malta. But you persevere, slowly but surely build support, and in the end prevail. This editorial will first provide some background to the medical physics profession. This will be followed with some lessons learned based on my journey in developing the medical physics profession in Malta, the intention being to help any future leaders who might find themselves facing a similar challenge. Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/116469 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/116468 Title: Postgraduate graduation ceremony oration, March 2023 Authors: Saliba, David Abstract: Graduation Speech delivered by Professor David Saliba Ph.D. (Edin.), during the 2023 Graduation Ceremony. Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/116468 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/116463 Title: The prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in tennis players : a case study Authors: Agius, Tonio. P; Lia, Nicole G.; Vella, S.; Sciriha, Anabel Abstract: Tennis is a popular sport both globally and locally. It is characterised by repeated strokes and explosive movements, which places the athlete at a high – risk of injuries. This study aimed at gathering data on the prevalence of tennis-related musculoskeletal injuries and injury characteristics from a local Maltese tennis club and analyse the impact of using different injury definitions on the number of collected injuries. Through this case study, an adapted version of the OSTRC questionnaire was distributed via email to members of one Maltese amateur tennis club. Using the ‘all physical complaints’ injury definition data on the prevalence and characteristics of musculoskeletal injuries suffered in the previous 6 months was gathered. Results were then analysed via SPSS and Microsoft Office Excel. A total of 61 injuries from 106 participants were recorded, with a point prevalence of 57.5%. 11 out of these 61 injuries were ‘time-loss’ injuries, and 33 were substantial injuries. The most injured locations were the elbow, knee, and ankle. Gradual onset were the most common, with most of them occurring in the elbow (41%). The ankle was mostly impacted by sudden onset injuries (36.3%). Following injury severity calculations, sudden onset injuries to the thigh and gradual onset injuries to the elbow and knee were the most burdensome. Through this study, an overview of injury prevalence and awareness from a small group of tennis players from one club has been obtained, setting recommendations for a local wide scale study to investigate the total population prevalence, information which will provide more insight for physiotherapists to help with injury prevention programmes, especially focusing on the elbow and knee, seeing that both were most frequently recorded and most burdensome. Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/116463 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z