The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- February 15, 1999

Fall injury study reveals upward trends in football, women's soccer

Another increase in concussions in football games and a rise in women's soccer injuries were among the findings from the NCAA fall 1998 Injury Surveillance System (ISS).

The system, in its 16th year, monitors injuries in 15 different sports, including five in the fall: football, women's soccer, men's soccer, women's volleyball and field hockey.

Data in the report indicate that participants are almost twice as likely to receive a concussion in a football game today than they were 10 years ago. That finding has stimulated NCAA participation in head-trauma educational and research efforts.

Overall, football game-injury rates were slightly lower than the 14-year average for the sport. The data showed 33.8 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures (A-E), which equates to 1.7 injuries per game for a team of 50 student-athletes. The practice-injury rate of 4.2 was consistent with the 14-year pattern for the sport.

The knee, ankle and upper leg were the most prevalent body parts injured in practice, accounting for 41 percent of all reported injuries. The knee, ankle and shoulder were the affected areas for 49 percent of all reported game injuries. Sprains, strains and contusions were the top three types of injuries. The highest-risk practice activity was 11-on-11 scrimmaging, accounting for 21 percent of all reported practice injuries.

Women's soccer showed practice- (6.2) and game-injury (18.9) rates that were slightly higher than the 13-year average for the sport. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 3.5 games in the sport.

The upper leg, knee and ankle were the three body parts injured most often during practices, accounting for 56 percent of the reported injuries. In game competition, the ankle, knee and head accounted for 57 percent of the reported injuries. Ten percent of all reported game injuries were concussions. Sprains and strains were the top types of injuries in both practices and games.

Men's soccer showed practice- (4.8) and game-injury (20.0) rates that were consistent with the 13-year average for the sport. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 3.3 games in the sport.

Upper leg, knee and ankle injuries were the most common in practice, accounting for 57 percent of reported injuries. The same three body parts also were the ones most injured in games. Strains, sprains and contusions were the top three types of injuries in both practices and games.

Women's volleyball is one of the few sports monitored that has game-injury rates that are similar to practice. The 1998 data show a practice rate (5.6) that is higher than the 14-year average for the sport and a game rate (3.7) that is slightly lower. Assuming eight game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 34 games in the sport.

The ankle, shoulder and knee were the most common body parts injured in practice, accounting for 54 percent of reported injuries. The foot joined the ankle and knee as the top three injured body parts in game competition. Sprains and strains were the top two types of injuries.

In field hockey, practice-injury (3.1) rates were lower and game-injury (9.0) rates were similar to the 13-year averages for the sport. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every seven games in the sport.

The upper leg and knee continued to be the top two body parts injured in practice. Game-related injuries were most common on the head, knee and pelvis/groin. Strains, contusions and tendinitis were the top three types of injuries in practice. Fractures, strains and sprains accounted for 49 percent of the reported injuries that occurred in games.

Baseline of data

The survey, conducted as part of the ISS, provides a baseline of injury data from a national sampling. Researchers should be cautious when comparing ISS results with injury data from other studies. No common definition of injury, measure of severity or evaluation of exposure exists in athletics-injury literature. The information in the 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 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 ISS data.

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 NCAA's three divisions and the four geographical regions of the country. The selected institutions amount to 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.

The 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 the NCAA.

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.

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 A-Es [(6 divided by 563) x 1,000].