Injury patterns in selected high school sports: a review of the 1995–1997 seasons

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Powell, John W.¹; Barber-Foss, Kim D.²

Injury patterns in selected high school sports: a review of the 1995–1997 seasons

J Athl Train. September 1999;34(3):277-284

© National Athletic Trainers' Association, Inc.

Affiliations

¹Med Sports Systems, Iowa City, IA

²Hiawatha, IA
Abstract and keywords

Objective: To characterize the risk of injury associated with 10 popular high school sports by comparing the relative frequency of injury and selected injury rates among sports, as well as the participation conditions within each sport.

Design and Setting: A cohort observational study of high school athletes using a surveillance protocol whereby certified athletic trainers recorded data during the 1995-1997 academic years.

Subjects: Players listed on the school's varsity team rosters for football, wrestling, baseball, field hockey, softball, girls' volleyball, boys' or girls' basketball, and boys' or girls' soccer.

Measurements: Injuries and opportunities for injury (exposures) were recorded daily. The definition of reportable injury used in the study required that certified athletic trainers evaluate the injured players and subsequently restrict them from participation.

Results: Football had the highest injury rate per 1000 athlete- exposures at 8.1, and volleyball had the lowest rate at 1.7. Only boys' (59.3%) and girls' (57.0%) soccer showed a larger proportion of reported injuries for games than practices, while volleyball was the only sport to demonstrate a higher injury rate per 1000 athlete-exposures for practices than for games. More than 73% of the injuries restricted players for fewer than 8 days. The proportion of knee injuries was highest for girls' soccer (19.4%) and lowest for baseball (10.5%). Among the studied sports, sprains and strains accounted for more than 50% of the injuries, except in field hockey (45.7%). Of the injuries requiring surgery, 60.3% were to the knee.

Conclusions: An inherent risk of injury is associated with participation in high school sports based on the nature of the game and the activities of the players. Therefore, injury prevention programs should be in place for both practices and games. Preventing reinjury through daily injury management is a critical component of an injury prevention program. Although sports injuries cannot be entirely eliminated, consistent and professional evaluation of yearly injury patterns can provide focus for the development and evaluation of injury prevention strategies.

Keywords: injuries; risk; surveillance; epidemiology
Links

PubMed: 16558577

PubMedCentral: PMC1322923

WoS: 000082640600011

Cited Works (2)

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Cited By (19)

Year	Entry
2009	Knowles SB, Marshall SW, Bowling MJ, Loomis D, Millikan R, Yang J, Mueller FO. Risk factors for injury among high school football players. Epidemiology. 2009;20(2):302-310.
2006	Knowles SB, Marshall SW, Bowling JM, Loomis D, Millikan R, Yang J, Weaver NL, Kalsbeek W, Mueller FO. A prospective study of injury incidence among North Carolina high school athletes. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;164(12):1209-1221.
2000	Powell JW, Barber-Foss KD. Sex-related injury patterns among selected high school sports. Am J Sports Med. May–June 2000;28(3):385-391.
2003	Turbeville SD, Cowan LD, Owen WL, Asal NR, Anderson MA. Risk factors for injury in high school football players. Am J Sports Med. 2003;31(6):974-980.
2006	McGuine TA, Keene JS. The effect of a balance training program on the risk of ankle sprains in high school athletes. Am J Sports Med. July 2006;34(7):1103-1111.
2007	Shankar PR, Fields SK, Collins CL, Dick RW, Comstock RD. Epidemiology of high school and collegiate football injuries in the United States, 2005-2006. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(8):1295-1303.
2010	Waterman BR, Belmont PJ Jr, Cameron KL, DeBerardino TM, Owens BD. Epidemiology of ankle sprain at the United States Military Academy. Am J Sports Med. April 2010;38(4):797-803.
2011	Waterman BR, Philip J. Belmont J, Cameron KL, Svoboda SJ, Alitz CJ, Owens BD. Risk factors for syndesmotic and medial ankle sprain: role of sex, sport, and level of competition. Am J Sports Med. 2011;39(5):992-998.
2012	Dragoo JL, Braun HJ, Durham JL, Chen MR, Harris AHS. Incidence and risk factors for injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament in National Collegiate Athletic Association football: data from the 2004-2005 through 2008-2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association injury surveillance system. Am J Sports Med. May 2012;40(5):990-995.
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1999	Powell JW, Barber-Foss KD. Traumatic brain injury in high school athletes. JAMA. September 8, 1999;282(10):958-963.
2007	Nelson AJ, Collins CL, Yard EE, Fields SK, Comstock RD. Ankle injuries among United States high school sports athletes, 2005–2006. J Athl Train. July 2007;42(3):381-387.
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