The winter 2000 NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS) reported a decrease in women's gymnastics match injuries for the 1999-00 season, although the severity of injuries in the sport, as measured by time loss or required surgery, remained high.

The system, in its 17th year, monitors injuries in 15 different sports, including six in the winter: men's ice hockey, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's gymnastics, and wrestling.

Women's gymnastics showed practice (6.9) injury rates that were similar to the 15-year average for the sport, while match (11.0) injury rates were significantly lower than the sport average.

Assuming six match participants, the rate equates to one injury every 15 matches in the sport. Ankle, knee and lower back were the most common body parts injured in practice, accounting for 40 percent of reported injuries while the knee, ankle and upper leg accounted for 70 percent of the reported injuries in matches. Sprains and strains were the top types of injuries.

Fifty-two percent of match injuries resulted in time loss of seven days or more, while 16 percent resulted in surgery. Most of the injuries occurred during the routine as opposed to the mount or dismount.

The severity of the injuries reported has prompted the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to initiate discussions with women's gymnastics coaches about strategies to reduce injuries in the sport.

Men's gymnastics showed similar practice (6.1) and match (6.8) injury rates. The practice rates were higher than the 15-year average for the sport, while match rates were significantly lower. Assuming six match participants, the rate equates to one injury every 24 matches in the sport. Shoulder, ankle and lower back were the most common body parts injured in practice, accounting for 55 percent of reported injuries while the knee, ankle and shoulder accounted for 63 percent of the reported injuries in matches. Sprains and strains were the top types of injuries.

Forty-four percent of injuries resulted in time loss of seven days or more, while 10 percent resulted in surgery. Most of the injuries occurred during the routine as opposed to the mount or dismount.

Ice hockey and basketball

For men's ice hockey, the study showed game (16.9) and practice (2.2) injury rates similar to the 14-year averages for the sport. The sport continues to have one of the lowest practice injury rates of any of the sports monitored by the NCAA. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 3.9 games in the sport. The game concussion rate of 1.6 equates to one concussion per every 40 games for a team of 15 players or the approximate equivalent of one concussion per team per year.

The pelvis, knee and shoulder were the most prevalent body parts injured in practice, accounting for 37 percent of all reported injuries, while the knee, shoulder and head accounted for 42 percent of all reported game injuries. Strains, sprains and contusions were the three most common types of injuries.

Almost half the game injuries occurred from contact with another player. Forty-five percent of all game injuries required restricted or missed participation for seven days or more while 7 percent of injuries required surgery of some type.

In women's basketball, practice (4.6) and game (9.1) injury rates were similar to the 12-year average for the sport. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 7.4 games in the sport. The ankle, knee, and upper leg were the three most common body parts injured during practices, accounting for 53 percent of the reported injuries, while the ankle, knee and head accounted for 57 percent of the reported injuries in game competition. Ten percent of all reported game injuries were concussions. Sprains and contusions were the top types of injuries in games.

Thirty-three percent of women's basketball game injuries restricted participation for seven days or more, while 13 percent resulted in surgery. Consistent with patterns that have been monitored since 1989, women's basketball players have a three-times-higher risk overall (four times higher in games) of anterior cruciate ligament injury than men's basketball participants. Fifty-four percent of game injuries resulted from player contact; most of those occurred within the lane.

Men's basketball showed practice (4.1) and game (10.1) injury rates that were consistent with the 12-year average for the sport. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 6.6 games in the sport. The ankle, knee, and lower back were the most common body parts injured in practice, accounting for 49 percent of reported injuries, while the ankle knee and head accounted for 46 percent of all game injuries. Sprains, strains and contusions were the top injuries in both practices and games.

Twenty-seven percent of game injuries resulted in time loss of seven days or more, while 11 percent resulted in surgery. In games, player contact accounted for 57 percent of all injuries and 6 percent of injuries were reported as concussions.

Wrestling

In wrestling, practice (7.5) and match (31.8) injury rates were slightly higher than the 15-year averages for the sport. Assuming 10 match participants, the match rate equates to one injury every three matches in the sport.

The knee, shoulder and head were the top body parts injured in practice and matches. Infections accounted for 17 percent of the time loss reportable injuries in practice while sprains, strains and dislocations accounted for 59 percent of match injuries. Concussions accounted for about 4 percent of practice and 6 percent of match injuries.

Forty-seven percent of match injuries resulted in time loss of seven days or more, while 11 percent resulted in surgery. A majority of match injuries occurred during the takedown.

About the survey

The survey, conducted as part of the ISS, provides a baseline of injury data from a national sampling.

Randall W. Dick, NCAA assistant director of sports sciences, said 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," Dick said. "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.

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 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.

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 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.

The accompanying tables highlights selected information from the winter 1999-00 ISS. When appropriate, injury rates and game-practice percentages are compared to an average value calculated from all years in which ISS data have been collected in a specific sport.

Winter Injury Surveillance System Highlights

The following table highlights selected information from the winter 2000 Injury Surveillance System. When appropriate, injury rates and game-practice percentages are compared to an average value calculated from all years in which ISS data have been collected in a specific sport.

Percent of injuries occurring in:

Top three body parts injured

Top three body parts injured

Top three types of injury

Top three types of injury