scholarly journals Epidemiology of Exertional Heat Illnesses in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes During the 2009–2010 Through 2014–2015 Academic Years

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan W. Yeargin ◽  
Thomas P. Dompier ◽  
Douglas J. Casa ◽  
Rebecca M. Hirschhorn ◽  
Zachary Y. Kerr

Context Exertional heat illnesses (EHIs) among football athletes have been widely researched, but data examining all collegiate sports are limited. Objective To describe the epidemiology of EHI in 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports. Design Descriptive epidemiology study. Setting The NCAA Injury Surveillance Program during the 2009–2010 through 2014–2015 academic years. Patients or Other Participants A voluntary sample of 166 NCAA institutions over 2048 team-seasons. Main Outcome Measure(s) Athletic trainers reported EHIs to the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program. Only EHIs sustained during a sanctioned practice or competition were included. The EHI rate, specific diagnoses, and number of emergency transports were measured. Results Overall, 232 EHI events were reported (0.47/10 000 athlete-exposures [AEs]; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.41, 0.53). Football comprised 75% of all EHI events and had the largest rate (1.55/10 000 AEs; 95% CI = 1.32, 1.78). The overall EHI rate was higher in preseason practices (1.16/10 000 AEs) than all other time periods (regular and postseason practices and all competitions; 0.23/10 000 AEs, injury rate ratio [IRR] = 4.96; 95% CI = 3.79, 6.50). This result was retained when examining the individual sports of football (3.65/10 000 versus 0.63/10 000 AEs, IRR = 5.82; 95% CI = 4.18, 8.10), men's soccer (1.11/10 000 versus 0.07/10 000 AEs, IRR = 16.819; 95% CI = 1.89, 138.55), and women's soccer (1.10/10 000 versus 0.05/10 000 AEs, IRR = 22.52; 95% CI = 2.77, 183.05). The EHI rates were highest in states with elevated annual temperatures (1.05/10 000 AEs). Heat cramps (39%), heat exhaustion (27%), and dehydration (29%) were the most common types of EHI. Nineteen athletes with EHI (8%) required emergency transport. Conclusions Football players continue to experience the most EHIs; however, EHIs can potentially occur in all NCAA sports. Continued emphasis on preseason EHI policies and institution-specific environmental guidelines is needed to address EHI rates.

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Pierpoint ◽  
Andrew E. Lincoln ◽  
Nina Walker ◽  
Shane V. Caswell ◽  
Dustin W. Currie ◽  
...  

ContextThe advent of Web-based sports injury surveillance via programs such as the High School Reporting Information Online system and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program has aided the acquisition of boys' and men's lacrosse injury data.ObjectiveTo describe the epidemiology of injuries sustained in high school boys' lacrosse in the 2008–2009 through 2013–2014 academic years and collegiate men's lacrosse in the 2004–2005 through 2013–2014 academic years using Web-based sports injury surveillance.DesignDescriptive epidemiology study.SettingOnline injury surveillance from lacrosse teams of high school boys (annual average = 55) and collegiate men (annual average = 14).Patients or Other ParticipantsBoys' and men's lacrosse players who participated in practices and competitions during the 2008–2009 through 2013–2014 academic years in high school or the 2004–2005 through 2013–2014 academic years in college.Main Outcome Measure(s)Athletic trainers collected time-loss (≥24 hours) injury and exposure data. Injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), injury rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and injury proportions by body site and diagnosis were calculated.ResultsHigh School Reporting Information Online documented 1407 time-loss injuries during 662 960 AEs. The National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program documented 1882 time-loss injuries during 390 029 AEs. The total injury rate from 2008–2009 through 2013–2014 was higher in college than in high school (3.77 versus 2.12/1000 AEs; IRR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.63, 1.94). Most injuries occurred during competitions in high school (61.4%) and practices in college (61.4%). Injury rates were higher in competitions compared with practices in high school (IRR = 3.59; 95% CI = 3.23, 4.00) and college (IRR = 3.38; 95% CI = 3.08, 3.71). Lower limb injuries, muscle strains, and ligament sprains were common at both levels. Concussion was the most frequent competition diagnosis for all high school player positions.ConclusionsRates of time-loss injury were higher in college versus high school and in competitions versus practices. Attention to preventing common lower leg injuries and concussions, especially at the high school level, is essential to decrease their incidence and severity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 780-786
Author(s):  
Katherine M. Lee ◽  
Melissa C. Kay ◽  
Kristen L. Kucera ◽  
William E. Prentice ◽  
Zachary Y. Kerr

Context Cervical muscle strains are an often-overlooked injury, with neck- and spine-related research typically focusing on spinal cord and vertebral injuries. Objective To examine the rates and distributions of cervical muscle strains in collegiate and high school football athletes. Design Descriptive epidemiology study. Setting Collegiate and high school football teams. Patients or Other Participants The National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program (NCAA-ISP) collected data from collegiate football athletes. The High School National Athletic Treatment, Injury and Outcomes Network (HS NATION) and High School Reporting Information Online (HS RIO) collected data from high school football athletes. Data from the 2011–2012 through 2013–2014 academic years were used. Main Outcome Measure(s) Athletic trainers collected injury and exposure data for football players. Injury counts, injury rates per 10 000 athlete-exposures (AEs), and injury rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results The NCAA-ISP reported 49 cervical muscle strains (rate = 0.96/10 000 AEs), of which 28 (57.1%) were TL (time loss; rate = 0.55/10 000 AEs). High School NATION reported 184 cervical muscle strains (rate = 1.66/10 000 AEs), of which 33 (17.9%) were TL injuries (rate = 0.30/10 000 AEs). The HS RIO, which collects only TL injuries, reported 120 TL cervical muscle strains (rate = 0.51/10 000 AEs). The overall injury rate was lower in the NCAA-ISP than in HS NATION (injury rate ratio = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.42, 0.79); when restricted to TL injuries, the overall injury rate was higher in the NCAA-ISP (injury rate ratio = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.11, 3.03). No differences were found when comparing TL injuries in HS RIO and the NCAA-ISP. Cervical muscle-strain rates were higher during competitions than during practices across all 3 surveillance systems for all injuries. Most cervical muscle strains were due to player contact (NCAA-ISP = 85.7%, HS NATION = 78.8%, HS RIO = 85.8%). Conclusions The incidence of cervical muscle strains in football players was low compared with other injuries. Nonetheless, identifying and implementing interventions, particularly those aimed at reducing unsafe player contact, are essential to further decrease the risk of injury and associated adverse outcomes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 738-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Y. Kerr ◽  
Gary B. Wilkerson ◽  
Shane V. Caswell ◽  
Dustin W. Currie ◽  
Lauren A. Pierpoint ◽  
...  

Context: The advent of Web-based sports injury surveillance via programs such as the High School Reporting Information Online system and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program has aided the acquisition of football injury data.Objective: To describe the epidemiology of injuries sustained in high school football in the 2005–2006 through 2013–2014 academic years and collegiate football in the 2004–2005 through 2013–2014 academic years using Web-based sports injury surveillance.Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.Setting: Online injury surveillance from football teams of high school boys (annual average = 100) and collegiate men (annual average = 43).Patients or Other Participants: Football players who participated in practices and competitions during the 2005–2006 through 2013–2014 academic years in high school or the 2004–2005 through 2013–2014 academic years in college.Main Outcome Measure(s): Athletic trainers collected time-loss injury (≥24 hours) and exposure data. Injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), injury rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and injury proportions by body site and diagnosis were calculated.Results: The High School Reporting Information Online system documented 18 189 time-loss injuries during 4 539 636 AEs; the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program documented 22 766 time-loss injuries during 3 121  476 AEs. The injury rate was higher among collegiate than high school (7.29 versus 4.01/1000 AEs; IRR = 1.82; 95% CI = 1.79, 1.86) athletes. Most injuries occurred during competitions in high school (53.2%) and practices in college (60.9%). The competition injury rate was higher than the practice injury rate among both high school (IRR = 5.62; 95% CI = 5.46, 5.78) and collegiate (IRR = 6.59; 95% CI = 6.41, 6.76) players. Most injuries at both levels affected the lower extremity and the shoulder/clavicle and were diagnosed as ligament sprains and muscle/tendon strains. However, concussion was a common injury during competitions among most positions.Conclusions: Injury rates were higher in college than in high school and higher for competitions than for practices. Concussion was a frequent injury sustained during competitions, which confirms the need to develop interventions to mitigate its incidence and severity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 616-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avinash Chandran ◽  
Sarah N. Morris ◽  
Erin B. Wasserman ◽  
Adrian J. Boltz ◽  
Christy L. Collins

Background Since 1982, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has collaborated with athletic trainers (ATs) to create the largest ongoing collegiate sports injury database in the world. This report provides an operational update of the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program (NCAA ISP) during the academic years 2014–2015 through 2018–2019. Surveillance system structure The NCAA ISP used a convenience sampling technique via a rolling recruitment model. The ATs at contributing institutions voluntarily submitted data into their respective electronic medical record systems; common data elements were pushed to and maintained by the Datalys Center. The ATs provided information about all team-related activities, even if no injury occurred during that activity, as well as detailed reports on each injury, including condition and circumstances. Summary The NCAA ISP has a long-standing role in supplying NCAA stakeholders with crucial injury surveillance data, playing a critical part in safeguarding student-athletes participating in collegiate sports.


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.


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.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen G. Roos ◽  
Zachary Y. Kerr ◽  
Timothy C. Mauntel ◽  
Aristarque Djoko ◽  
Thomas P. Dompier ◽  
...  

Background: Ankle sprains are a common injury in collegiate sports. Few studies have examined the epidemiology of individual ligament injuries, specifically the lateral ligament complex (LLC) of the ankle. Purpose: To describe the epidemiology, including the estimated yearly national incidence, of LLC sprains among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Injury surveillance data for 25 sports from the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program (NCAA-ISP) for the academic years 2009-2010 to 2014-2015 were used for analysis. All injuries included for analysis had a diagnosis of an LLC sprain. LLC sprain rates and rate ratios (RRs) with 95% CIs were calculated. From the sample, national estimates of the annual incidence of LLC sprains across the entire student-athlete body from these 25 sports were also calculated. Results: During the 2009-2010 to 2014-2015 academic years, 2429 LLC sprains were reported, for a rate of 4.95 per 10,000 athlete-exposures (AEs). LLC sprains comprised 7.3% of all reported collegiate sports injuries in the NCAA-ISP. Also, an estimated 16,022 LLC sprains occurred annually among the 25 sports. The sports with the highest LLC sprain rates were men’s basketball (11.96/10,000 AEs) and women’s basketball (9.50/10,000 AEs). Most LLC sprains occurred during practices (57.3%); however, the LLC sprain rate was higher in competitions than in practices (RR, 3.29; 95% CI, 3.03-3.56). Also, 11.9% of LLC sprains were identified as recurrent injuries, with the largest proportions of recurrent LLC sprains being found within women’s basketball (21.1%), women’s outdoor track (21.1%), women’s field hockey (20.0%), and men’s basketball (19.1%). In 44.4% of LLC sprains, the athlete returned to play in less than 24 hours; in 3.6%, the athlete required more than 21 days before returning to play (including those who did not return to play at all). Conclusion: LLC sprains were the most commonly reported injury diagnosis among United States collegiate student-athletes. Continued examination of interventions that aim to reduce the incidence, severity, and recurrence of LLC sprains, specifically in women, is warranted.


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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 703-710
Author(s):  
Adrian J. Boltz ◽  
Aliza K. Nedimyer ◽  
Avinash Chandran ◽  
Hannah J. Robison ◽  
Christy L. Collins ◽  
...  

Context The National Collegiate Athletic Association has supported men's ice hockey, a distinct sport that mandates high-velocity gamesmanship, since 1974. Background Injury surveillance systems are designed to identify evolving injury trends and their temporal qualities. Continual monitoring of collegiate men's ice hockey athletes remains essential. Methods Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association 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 (IRR) were used to examine differential injury rates. Results The overall injury rate was 7.65 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Injuries from competition occurred at a rate nearly 7 times that from practice injuries (IRR = 6.54, 95% CI = 6.08, 7.04). The most common specific injury diagnoses were concussions (9.6%), acromioclavicular sprains (7.3%), and medial collateral ligament tears (3.7%). Summary Injury rates by event type and season segment were higher than previously reported. Contusions accounted for nearly a quarter of all injuries, and acromioclavicular sprain rates increased notably across the study period.


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