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The NCAA News - News and FeaturesJune 22, 1998
Concussions on the rise in ice hockey
ISS data for winter sports also indicate rise in concussions in wrestlingGame concussion rates achieved a 12-year high for men's ice hockey, according to data collected on 1997-98 winter sports injuries from the Association's Injury Surveillance System (ISS). The report indicated that the value of 1.9 concussions per every 1,000 athlete-exposures translates to an average of one concussion every 35 games for a team of 15 participants. This risk is almost twice as high as a game concussion risk in the sport in 1990. On the other extreme, practice injury rates in men's ice hockey remain one of the lowest of NCAA sports. The value of 2.1 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures was similar to the 12-year average for men's ice hockey and lower than every one of the 16 sports monitored by the system except baseball. The 1997-98 men's ice hockey game injury rate of 19.1 was higher than the average for the sport. In addition, the knee, shoulder and pelvis/hip/groin area are the top body parts injured. Thirty-eight percent of all injuries resulted in restricted or no participation for seven days or more. In wrestling, match concussions reached a 13-year high with one concussion every 38 matches for a team of 10 participants. Data also indicated that 1997-98 practice (7.1) and match (29.8) injury rates were similar to the 13-year averages for the sport. Knees, shoulders and ankles are the top three body parts injured and account for 40 percent of the reported injuries in the sport. Skin infections continue to cause a significant time loss in the sport, accounting for 15 percent of all reported injuries. Thirty-eight percent of reported injuries resulted in restricted or no participation for seven days or more. Women's gymnastics showed practice (7.2) and match (12.1) injury rates that were below the 13-year averages for the sport. Ankles, knees and lower backs are the top three body parts injured and account for 44 percent of the reported injuries in the sport. Sprains, strains and contusions are the top types of injuries. Forty-seven percent of reported injuries resulted in restricted or no participation for seven days or more. Thirty percent of injuries occurred during the floor exercise and 26 percent occurred on the uneven bars. Insufficient data prevented the ISS from calculating injury rates in men's gymnastics. Drop in men's basketball Men's basketball showed practice (3.6) and game (8.1) injury rates that were below the 10-year average for the sport. Ankle, knees and the pelvis/hip/groin area are the top three body parts injured and account for 41 percent of the reported injuries in the sport. Sprains, strains and contusions are the top types of injuries. Thirty percent of reported injuries resulted in restricted or no participation for seven days or more. Women's basketball showed a practice injury rate (4.7) that is consistent with the 10-year average for the sport and a game injury rate (8.0) that was below the average. Ankle, knees and feet are the top three body parts injured and account for 47 percent of the reported injuries in the sport. Sprains, strains and contusions are the top types of injuries. Thirty-four percent of reported injuries resulted in restricted or no participation for seven days or more. Women's basketball had a practice anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rate that was twice as high and a game ACL injury rate that was five times higher than the men's injury rate. Almost one-half of the game injuries in both men's and women's basketball occurred within the free-throw lane. Methodology The ISS survey provides a baseline of injury data from a national sampling. Randall W. Dick, NCAA assistant director of sports sciences, said that researchers should be cautious when comparing the results with injury data from other studies. "No common definition of injury, measure of severity or evaluation of exposure exists in athletics injury literature," Dick said. "Therefore, the information contained in this summary must be evaluated under the definitions and methodology outlined for the ISS." 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 NCAA 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 continues to be to reduce injury rates through suggested changes in rules, protective equipment or coaching techniques based on data provided by the Injury Surveillance System. Sampling Exposure and injury data were submitted weekly by athletic trainers from institutions selected to represent a cross section of 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 be representative of the total population of NCAA institutions. Dick said that it is important to note that this system does not identify every injury that occurs at NCAA institutions in a particular sport. Rather, it collects a sampling that is representative of a cross section of NCAA institutions. 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 Injury Surveillance System 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 [(6 divided by 563) x 1,000]. Additional information on the report is available from the sports sciences staff at the NCAA national office.
Winter 1997-98 Injury Surveillance System HighlightsThe following tables highlight selected information from the winter 1997-98 Injury Surveillance System. When appropriate, injury rates and game-practice percentages are compared to an average value collected from all years in which ISS has been collected in a specific sport.
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