The NCAA News - News and Features

June 30, 1997

Ice hockey continues to show low practice injury rate

Men's ice hockey continues to show a low practice injury rate relative to its game rate, as reported in the 1996-97 NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS).

Only 32 percent of reported ice hockey injuries occurred in practice -- the lowest percentage of the 16 sports monitored by the ISS. Shoulders and knees were the two most common body parts injured.

Eight percent of reported injuries were to the head. Concussions were primarily responsible for that figure. The game concussion rate of 1.9 concussions per 1,000 athlete-exposures (A-E) was similar to that of the last few years.

Men's and women's basketball showed practice and game injury rates that were similar to their nine-year averages.

On the men's side, the game injury rate fell for the first time in five years. The ankle, knee and lower back were the top three body parts injured among both men and women, while sprains, strains and contusions were the top three types of injuries. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries continued to occur in women's basketball at a rate that is three times higher than in men's.

Wrestling showed a match injury rate (33.7 injuries per 1,000 A-E) that was higher than its 12-year average. The knee and shoulder continued to be the top two body parts injured in wrestling; sprains and strains were the top two types of injuries.

Skin infections, down during the last few years, accounted for 15 percent of the time-loss injuries for the past
season.

Women's gymnastics showed practice and meet injury rates that were lower than its 12-year average. Eighty percent of the injuries occurred in practice sessions.

The ankle, knee and lower back were the top three body parts injured, while sprains, strains and contusions were the top three types of injuries.

Floor exercise continued to be the highest-risk activity in the sport.

Men's gymnastics data were obtained this year from only four schools. Practice and meet rates were consistent with their 11-year averages.

The shoulder, wrist and lower leg were the top three body parts injured in men's gymnastics during the past year, while sprains and strains described the majority of reported injuries.

The ISS was developed in 1982 to provide current and reliable data on injury trends in intercollegiate athletics. Injury data are collected yearly from a representative sample of member institutions and the resulting data summaries are reviewed by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.

The committee's goal is to reduce injury rates through suggested changes in rules, protective equipment or coaching techniques, based on ISS data.

Sampling

Exposure and injury data were submitted weekly by athletic trainers from institutions selected to represent a cross section of the NCAA membership. The cross section was based on the three divisions of the NCAA and the four geographical regions of the country. The selected institutions composed a minimum 10 percent sample of the membership sponsoring the sport; therefore, the resulting data should represent the total population of NCAA institutions.

The system does not identify every injury that occurs at NCAA institutions in a particular sport. Rather, it collects a sampling that represents a cross section of the NCAA.

Exposures

An athlete-exposure (A-E) is one athlete participating in one practice or game in which he or she is exposed to the possibility of athletics injury. For example, five practices, each involving 60 participants, and one game involving 40 participants would result in a total of 340 A-Es for a particular week.

Injuries

A reportable injury in the ISS is defined as one that:

1. Occurred as a result of participation in an organized intercollegiate practice or game, and

2. Required medical attention by a team athletic trainer or physician, and

3. Resulted in restriction of the student-athlete's participation or performance for one or more days beyond the day of injury.

Injury rate

An injury rate is a ratio of the number of injuries in a particular category to the number of athlete-exposures in that category. This value is then multiplied by 1,000 to produce an injury rate per 1,000 athlete-exposures. For example, six reportable injuries during a period of 563 athlete-exposures would give an injury rate of 10.7 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures [(six divided by 563) times 1,000]. Additional information on the report is available from the sports sciences staff at the NCAA national office.