Background: Understanding the risk and trends of sports-related concussion among 12 scholastic sports may contribute to concussion detection, treatment, and prevention.
Purpose: To examine the incidence and relative risk of concussion in 12 high school boys’ and girls’ sports between academic years 1997-1998 and 2007-2008.
Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.
Methods: Data were prospectively gathered for 25 schools in a large public high school system. All schools used an electronic medical record-keeping program. A certified athletic trainer was on-site for games and practices and electronically recorded all injuries daily.
Results: In sum, 2651 concussions were observed in 10 926 892 athlete-exposures, with an incidence rate of 0.24 per 1000. Boys’ sports accounted for 53% of athlete-exposures and 75% of all concussions. Football accounted for more than half of all concussions, and it had the highest incidence rate (0.60). Girls’ soccer had the most concussions among the girls’ sports and the second-highest incidence rate of all 12 sports (0.35). Concussion rate increased 4.2-fold (95% confidence interval, 3.4-5.2) over the 11 years (15.5% annual increase). In similar boys’ and girls’ sports (baseball/softball, basketball, and soccer), girls had roughly twice the concussion risk of boys. Concussion rate increased over time in all 12 sports.
Conclusion: Although the collision sports of football and boys’ lacrosse had the highest number of concussions and football the highest concussion rate, concussion occurred in all other sports and was observed in girls’ sports at rates similar to or higher than those of boys’ sports. The increase over time in all sports may reflect actual increased occurrence or greater coding sensitivity with widely disseminated guidance on concussion detection and treatment. The high-participation collision sports of football and boys’ lacrosse warrant continued vigilance, but the findings suggest that focus on concussion detection, treatment, and prevention should not be limited to those sports traditionally associated with concussion risk.
Background: Wrestling holds worldwide popularity, and large numbers of United States high school and college males participate. However, the sport’s arduous nature results in high injury rates.
Hypothesis: Wrestling injury rates and patterns will differ between high school and college practice and match exposures.
Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.
Methods: Wrestling-related injury data were collected during the 2005–2006 academic year from 74 nationally representative high schools via High School Reporting Information Online (RIO) and from 15 Division I, II, and III colleges via the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System.
Results: Certified athletic trainers reported 387 injuries among participating high school wrestlers during 166 279 athlete-exposures, for an injury rate of 2.33 injuries per 1000 athlete-exposures. Nationally, high school wrestlers sustained an estimated 99 676 injuries and 8741 skin infections during the 2005–2006 season. In college, 258 injuries occurred among participating wrestlers during 35 599 athlete-exposures, for an injury rate of 7.25 injuries per 1000 athlete-exposures. The injury rate per 1000 athlete-exposures was higher in college than high school (rate ratio [RR] = 3.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.66–3.64) and was higher in matches than in practice in high school (RR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.73–2.59) and college (RR = 5.07, 95% CI: 3.96–6.50). Diagnoses in greater proportions of college wrestlers included lacerations (injury proportion ratio [IPR] = 5.98, 95% CI: 2.27–15.74) and cartilage injuries (IPR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.26–5.74). Body parts injured in greater proportions of high school wrestlers included elbow (IPR = 3.90, 95% CI: 1.66–9.14) and hand (IPR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.21–5.54). Almost half of all injured high school (44.9%) and college (42.6%) wrestlers resumed wrestling within <1 week. Skin infections represented 8.5% and 20.9% of all reported high school and college events, respectively, and frequently affected the head/face/neck (50.0%).
Conclusions: Rates and patterns of wrestling injury differ between high school and college and between practice and matches.
