scholarly journals Epidemiology of Spine Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Wrestling Athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 232596712110320
Author(s):  
Joseph C. Brinkman ◽  
Sailesh V. Tummala ◽  
Kade S. McQuivey ◽  
Jeffrey D. Hassebrock ◽  
Christian Pagdilao ◽  
...  

Background: Spine injuries are common in collegiate wrestlers and can lead to reinjury, persistent pain, and time lost from participation. Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of spine injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) wrestlers between academic years 2009 to 2010 and 2013 to 2014. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: The incidence and characteristics of spine injuries were identified utilizing the NCAA–Injury Surveillance Program database. Spine injuries were assessed for injury type, injury mechanism, time of season, event type, recurrence, participation restriction, and time lost from participation. Rates of injury were calculated as the number of injuries divided by the total number of athlete-exposures (AEs). Injury rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated for event type and time of season, and results with 95% confidence intervals that did not include 1.0 were considered statistically significant. Results: There were an estimated 2040 spine injuries reported in the database over the 4-year period, resulting in an injury rate of 0.71 per 1000 AEs.  Spine injuries were over twice as likely to occur in competitions as in practices (IRR, 2.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-3.69). More injuries occurred in both the preseason (0.94 per 1000 AEs) and the postseason (1.12 per 1000 AEs) compared with the regular season (0.55 per 1000 AEs). Contact injuries (42%) were the most common mechanism of injury, and brachial plexus injury (20%) was the most common diagnosis. Only 1.3% of injuries required surgery, and athletes most commonly returned to sport within 24 hours (33%) or within 6 days (25%). Conclusion: This investigation found an overall injury rate of 0.71 per 1000 AEs in wrestling athletes between academic years 2009 to 2010 and 2013 to 2014. The majority of these injuries were new, and athletes most commonly returned to sport within 24 hours. The injury rate was highest in competition, and both the preseason and the postseason showed a higher injury rate than that in season. Efforts to improve injury prevention and management should be informed by these findings.

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 474-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy G. Eckard ◽  
Zachary Y. Kerr ◽  
Darin A. Padua ◽  
Aristarque Djoko ◽  
Thomas P. Dompier

Context: Few researchers have examined the rates and patterns of quadriceps strains in student-athletes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).Objective: To describe the epidemiology of quadriceps strains in 25 NCAA sports during the 2009–2010 through 2014–2015 academic years.Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.Setting: Convenience sample of NCAA programs from 25 sports during the 2009–2010 through 2014–2015 academic years.Patients or Other Particpants: Collegiate student-athletes participating in men's and women's NCAA athletics during the 2009–2010 through 2014–2015 academic years.Main Outcome Measure(s): Aggregate quadriceps strain injury and exposure data from the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program during the 2009–2010 through 2014–2015 academic years were analyzed. Quadriceps strain injury rates and injury rate ratios (IRRs) were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: Overall, 517 quadriceps strains were reported, resulting in an injury rate of 1.07/10 000 athlete-exposures (AEs). The sports with the highest overall quadriceps strain rates were women's soccer (5.61/10 000 AEs), men's soccer (2.52/10 000 AEs), women's indoor track (2.24/10 000 AEs), and women's softball (2.15/10 000 AEs). Across sex-comparable sports, women had a higher rate of quadriceps strains than men overall (1.97 versus 0.65/10 000 AEs; IRR = 3.03; 95% CI = 2.45, 3.76). The majority of quadriceps strains were sustained during practice (77.8%). However, the quadriceps strain rate was higher during competition than during practice (1.29 versus 1.02/10 000 AEs; IRR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.03, 1.56). Most quadriceps strains occurred in the preseason (57.8%), and rates were higher during the preseason compared with the regular season (2.29 versus 0.63/10 000 AEs; IRR = 3.60; 95% CI = 3.02, 4.30). Common injury mechanisms were noncontact (63.2%) and overuse (21.9%). Most quadriceps strains restricted participation by less than 1 week (79.3%).Conclusions: Across 25 sports, higher quadriceps strain rates were found in women versus men, in competitions versus practices, and in the preseason versus the regular season. Most quadriceps strains were minor in severity, although further surveillance is needed to better examine the risk factors associated with incidence and severity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 232596711987910
Author(s):  
Justin L. Makovicka ◽  
David G. Deckey ◽  
Karan A. Patel ◽  
Jeffrey D. Hassebrock ◽  
Andrew S. Chung ◽  
...  

Background: Lumbar spine injuries (LSIs) are common in both men’s and women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball players and can frequently lead to reinjuries and persistent pain. Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of an LSI in collegiate men’s and women’s basketball during the 2009-2010 through 2013-2014 academic years. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: The incidence and characteristics of LSIs were identified utilizing the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program (ISP). Rates of injury were calculated as the number of injuries divided by the total number of athlete-exposures (AEs). AEs were defined as any student participation in 1 NCAA-sanctioned practice or competition. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were then calculated to compare the rates of injury between season, event type, mechanism, injury recurrence, and time lost from sport. Results: The NCAA ISP reported 124 LSIs from an average of 28 and 29 men’s and women’s teams, respectively. These were used via validated weighting methodology to estimate a total of 5197 LSIs nationally. The rate of LSIs in women was 2.16 per 10,000 AEs, while men suffered LSIs at a rate of 3.47 per 10,000 AEs. Men were 1.61 times more likely to suffer an LSI compared with women. In men, an LSI was 3.48 times more likely to occur in competition when compared with practice, while in women, an LSI was 1.36 times more likely to occur in competition than in practice. Women suffered the highest LSI rate during the postseason, while the highest rate in men was during the regular season. The majority of both female (58.9%; n = 1004) and male (73.1%; n = 2353) athletes returned to play within 24 hours of injury. Conclusion: To date, this is the largest study to characterize LSIs in NCAA basketball and provides needed information on the prevalence and timing of these injuries. The majority of injuries in both sexes were new, and most athletes returned to play in less than 24 hours. Injury rates were highest during competition in both sexes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 766-772
Author(s):  
Hannah J. Robison ◽  
Adrian J. Boltz ◽  
Sarah N. Morris ◽  
Christy L. Collins ◽  
Avinash Chandran

Context The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has sponsored women's tennis programs since 1966. Women's tennis has risen in global prominence and popularity within the NCAA. Background Continued surveillance of athletic injuries in the NCAA is critical for identifying emerging injury trends and assessing injury prevention strategies. Methods Exposure and injury data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program from 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. Results The overall injury rate was 4.16 per 1000 athlete exposures. Injury to the shoulder, foot, and trunk were the most prevalent throughout the study period. Approximately 30% of all injury diagnoses were related to inflammatory conditions. Also, 32.1% of all injuries were time-loss injuries, and 45.0% of all injuries were non–time-loss injuries. Conclusions The findings of this study differed slightly from those of previous investigations, most notably with regard to injury rate by season segment and commonly injured body parts. Future surveillance efforts should attempt to capture the nuances of tennis competitions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 643-650
Author(s):  
Avinash Chandran ◽  
Sarah N. Morris ◽  
Jacob R. Powell ◽  
Adrian J. Boltz ◽  
Hannah J. Robison ◽  
...  

Context Football is among the most popular collegiate sports in the United States, and participation in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football has risen in recent years. Background Continued monitoring of football injuries is important for capturing the evolving burden of injuries in NCAA football. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of football-related injuries among men's NCAA football players during the 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 academic years. Methods Exposure and injury data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. Results The overall injury rate was 9.31 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Most injuries occurred during general play (17.5%), blocking (15.8%), and tackling (14.0%). Concussions (7.5%), lateral ligament complex tears (6.9%), and hamstring tears (4.7%) were the most commonly reported injuries. Conclusions Results of this study were generally consistent with previous findings, though changes over time in rates of commonly reported injuries warrant attention. Continued monitoring of injury incidence is needed to appraise the effectiveness of recently implemented rules changes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa C. Kay ◽  
Johna K. Register-Mihalik ◽  
Aaron D. Gray ◽  
Aristarque Djoko ◽  
Thomas P. Dompier ◽  
...  

Context: Few researchers have described the incidence of the most severe injuries sustained by student-athletes at the collegiate level. Objective: To describe the epidemiology of severe injuries within 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports in the 2009–2010 through 2014–2015 academic years. Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Setting: Aggregate injury and exposure data from 25 NCAA sports. Patients or Other Participants: Collegiate student-athletes in the 2009–2010 through 2014–2015 academic years. Main Outcome Measure(s): Injury data from the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program were analyzed. A severe injury (1) occurred during a sanctioned competition or practice, (2) required medical attention by an athletic trainer or physician, and (3) resulted in at least 21 days lost from sport activity or a premature end to the sport season. Injury counts, proportions, rates per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), rate ratios (RRs), and injury proportion ratios were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 3183 severe injuries were reported, for an injury rate of 0.66/1000 AEs. Wrestling had the highest severe injury rate (1.73/1000 AEs), followed by women's gymnastics (1.40/1000 AEs) and football (0.97/1000 AEs). Overall, the severe injury rate was higher in competition than in practice (RR = 4.25, 95% CI = 3.97, 4.56). Most severe injuries were reported during the regular season (69.3%, n = 2206); however, severe injury rates did not differ between the preseason and regular season (RR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.91, 1.06). Common severely injured body parts were the knee (32.9%, n = 1047), lower leg/ankle/foot (22.5%, n = 715), and head/face/neck (11.2%, n = 358). Common severe injury diagnoses were sprains (32.9%, n = 1048), strains (16.9%, n = 538), and fractures (14.4%, n = 458). Common severe injury mechanisms were player contact (39.3%, n = 1251), noncontact (25.1%, n = 800), and surface contact (12.0%, n = 383). Conclusions: Severe injuries occurred across many sports and by numerous mechanisms. By identifying these sport-specific patterns, clinicians' efforts can be tailored toward improving injury-prevention strategies and health outcomes.


2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (19) ◽  
pp. 1211-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C Lynall ◽  
Zachary Y Kerr ◽  
Aristarque Djoko ◽  
Babette M Pluim ◽  
Brian Hainline ◽  
...  

BackgroundThis study describes the epidemiology of men's and women's tennis injuries reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance Program (ISP) during the 2009/2010–2014/2015 academic years.MethodsInjuries and athlete-exposure (AE) data originated from 19 varsity men's programmes (38 team-seasons); women's tennis data originated from 25 varsity programmes (52 team-seasons). Injury rates, injury rate ratios (IRRs) and injury proportions ratios (IPRs) were reported with 95% CIs.ResultsThe ISP captured 181 and 227 injuries for men's and women's tennis, respectively, for injury rates of 4.89 and 4.88/1000 AE for men and women, respectively. There were 32.2% and 63.9% reductions in men's and women's tennis practice injury rates between 2009/2010–2011/2012 and 2012/2013–2014/2015, but no reductions in competition injury rates. Competition injury rates were higher than practice injury rates in men's (IRR=2.32; 95% CI 1.72 to 3.13) and women's tennis (IRR=1.77; 95% CI 1.35 to 2.33). Most injuries in men's and women's tennis occurred to the lower extremities (47.0% and 52.4%, respectively), compared with the trunk (16.6% and 17.6%, respectively) and upper extremities (23.8 and 23.8, respectively).ConclusionsInjury rates in NCAA men's and women's tennis were similar overall. Practice injury rates in men's and women's tennis have declined, although competition rates have not changed. These findings may help inform injury prevention programmes in the future.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 2622-2629 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Rosene ◽  
Bryan Raksnis ◽  
Brie Silva ◽  
Tyler Woefel ◽  
Paul S. Visich ◽  
...  

Background: Examinations related to divisional differences in the incidence of sports-related concussions (SRC) in collegiate ice hockey are limited. Purpose: To compare the epidemiologic patterns of concussion in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ice hockey by sex and division. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: A convenience sample of men’s and women’s ice hockey teams in Divisions I and III provided SRC data via the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program during the 2009-2010 to 2014-2015 academic years. Concussion counts, rates, and distributions were examined by factors including injury activity and position. Injury rate ratios (IRRs) and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare concussion rates and distributions, respectively. Results: Overall, 415 concussions were reported for men’s and women’s ice hockey combined. The highest concussion rate was found in Division I men (0.83 per 1000 athlete-exposures [AEs]), followed by Division III women (0.78/1000 AEs), Division I women (0.65/1000 AEs), and Division III men (0.64/1000 AEs). However, the only significant IRR was that the concussion rate was higher in Division I men than Division III men (IRR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.02-1.65). The proportion of concussions from checking was higher in men than women (28.5% vs 9.4%; IPR = 3.02; 95% CI, 1.63-5.59); however, this proportion was higher in Division I women than Division III women (18.4% vs 1.8%; IPR = 10.47; 95% CI, 1.37-79.75). The proportion of concussions sustained by goalkeepers was higher in women than men (14.2% vs 2.9%; IPR = 4.86; 95% CI, 2.19-10.77), with findings consistent within each division. Conclusion: Concussion rates did not vary by sex but differed by division among men. Checking-related concussions were less common in women than men overall but more common in Division I women than Division III women. Findings highlight the need to better understand the reasons underlying divisional differences within men’s and women’s ice hockey and the need to develop concussion prevention strategies specific to each athlete population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 666-673
Author(s):  
Avinash Chandran ◽  
Sarah N. Morris ◽  
Landon B. Lempke ◽  
Adrian J. Boltz ◽  
Hannah J. Robison ◽  
...  

Context Women's volleyball is a globally popular sport with widespread participation at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level. Background Routine examinations of NCAA women's volleyball injuries are important for recognizing emerging injury-related patterns in this population. Methods Exposure and injury data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 athletic years were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differences in injury rates. Results The overall injury rate was 6.73 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Knee (14.6%) and ankle (13.8%) injuries accounted for the largest proportion of all reported injuries, and most injuries were attributed to overuse (26.1%) or noncontact (22.7%) mechanisms. Lateral ankle ligament complex tears (11.1%) and concussions (7.3%) were the most commonly reported specific injury. Summary Results indicate an increasing burden of practice-related injuries and the need to further examine overuse injuries. Lower-extremity injury prevention strategies and mechanisms of concussion also warrant further attention.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 711-718
Author(s):  
Avinash Chandran ◽  
Sarah N. Morris ◽  
Bernadette A. D'Alonzo ◽  
Adrian J. Boltz ◽  
Hannah J. Robison ◽  
...  

Context The number of women's swimming and diving teams sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association has increased over the last 5 years. Background Routine examinations of women's swimming and diving injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns. Methods Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 athletic seasons were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differences in injury rates. Results The overall injury rate was 1.78 per 1000 athlete-exposures in swimmers and 2.49 per 1000 AEs in divers. Shoulder (33.0%) injuries accounted for the largest proportion of all swimming injuries; most injuries were classified as overuse (51.3%). Head or face (29.4%) and trunk (20.2%) injuries accounted for the largest proportions of all diving injuries. Summary Findings indicated that shoulder and trunk injuries, as well as injuries resulting from overuse mechanisms, warrant further attention in swimming. Given the low in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program observed across the study period, the need for greater participation in sports injury surveillance is also apparent.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 742-749
Author(s):  
Adrian J. Boltz ◽  
Jacob R. Powell ◽  
Hannah J. Robison ◽  
Sarah N. Morris ◽  
Christy L. Collins ◽  
...  

Context The National Collegiate Athletic Association has supported men's baseball championships since 1947. Since its inception, the number of participating teams and athletes has considerably expanded. Background Frequently conducting injury surveillance of collegiate baseball athletes is essential for identifying developing temporal patterns. Methods Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics; injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. Results The overall injury rate was 3.16 per 1000 athlete-exposures. The preseason injury rate was significantly higher than the regular season injury rate. The most commonly injured body parts were shoulder (16.1%), arm or elbow (16%), and hand or wrist (13.9%). The most reported specific injury was hamstring tear (7.9%). Conclusions The findings of this study aligned with previous studies—most injuries were due to noncontact and overuse mechanisms, less than one-half of injuries were related to upper extremity body parts, and one-third of all injuries were reported among pitchers.


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