Football Leads High School Sports Injuries
Knee Injuries Were Top on the List Followed by Ankle Injuries
Researchers from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and the Center for Injury Research and Policy in the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital collected and analyzed sports injury data from 100 high schools from 2005 through 2007. The study was recently published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (September, 2009).
The research specifically looked at severe injuries (ones that resulted in the loss of at least three weeks from sports participation). The study specifically looked at severe injury rates by gender and by sports.
Severe Injury Rates by Sport
Boys’ sports had higher injury rates overall as compared to girls’ sports. The highest severe injury rate was in the sport of football followed by the sport of wrestling. This is not surprising as football is considered a “collision” sport with regular full body contact. Even with required protective equipment, football still tops the severe injury list.
The girls’ top severe injury sports were basketball and soccer. This result is also expected as both basketball and soccer are considered contact sports. These two sports are also well documented to have a higher rate for anterior cruciate ligament tears which might assist the numbers in this category.
Severe Injury Rates by Gender
It is also interesting to note that when injuries in certain sports (soccer, basketball, baseball/softball) were directly compared by gender, girls had a higher severe injury rate than boys, with severe injuries sustained in girls’ basketball being significantly higher than severe injuries sustained in boys’ basketball. This is an area that deserves more focused research to determine if there are preventive measures that can be taken.
Severe Injury Rates by Body Site
When specific body sites were reviewed, the data revealed that the knee (29%) had the highest rate of injury followed by the ankle (12.3%) and the shoulder (10.9%). Close to thirty percent of all severe injuries were to the knee - more than double the severe injuries sustained by the second highest body part.
The knee is susceptible to injury because it is a weight bearing joint and is in a location that places it at risk for injury. The knee has two primary joints that can be injured. The patellofemoral joint is the articulation between the patella and the femur. The tibiofemoral joint is the primary weight bearing joint and is primarily stabilized by ligaments and muscles (quadriceps muscle group and hamstring muscle group).
Severe Injury Rate by Types of Injuries
The most common type of severe injuries sustained were fractures (36%) followed by complete ligament sprains (15.3%) and incomplete ligament sprains (14.3%). Over one-third of the injuries keeping athletes out of competition were fractures. Because most fractures require six weeks to repair and heal, this would be expected as a leading severe injury category.
A complete ligament sprain would indicate a complete tear of a ligament. This type of injury would most likely need a surgical repair and would keep an athlete out for the season. Incomplete ligament sprains would be indicative of a second degree sprain or partial tearing of a ligament. Depending on the ligament injured, this type of injury would require three to six week rehabilitation period followed by protective taping or bracing.
The data from this study supports the fact that there are some sports that place athletes at a higher risk for severe injury than others. With this knowledge, future research needs to look for ways to prevent these types of injuries within each sport.
football
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Health & Wellness
Latest Articles