The system, in its 21st year, monitors injuries in 15 different sports, including five in the spring season: spring football, baseball, softball, and men's and women's lacrosse.

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.

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.

Spring football

Practice-injury rates per 1,000 athlete-exposures (7.7) were found to be lower than the 16-year averages for the sport. This continues a downward trend over the last few years, with rates almost equivalent to preseason fall practice. Spring practice-injury rates equate to one injury for every two practices for a team of 70 participants. The final spring "game" injury rate (8.0) also was lower than the average for the sport.

The upper leg, knee and ankle were the most prevalent body parts injured, accounting for 48 percent of all reported injuries. Sprains, strains and contusions were the top types of injuries.

Forty-eight percent of all practice injuries required restricted or missed participation for seven days or more, while 11 percent required surgery of some type and 8 percent were concussions.

Baseball and softball

Baseball showed practice-injury rates (1.7) and game-injury rates (5.6) both slightly lower than the 19-year averages for the sport. Assuming 10 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 18 games. The shoulder, elbow and upper leg were the most common body parts injured in practice, accounting for 44 percent of reported injuries. The shoulder, upper leg and elbow were the top injuries in games, accounting for 38 percent of reported injuries. Strains, contusions and sprains were the top three types of reported injuries.

Forty percent of game injuries resulted in time loss of seven days or more, while 9 percent resulted in surgery. In games, non-throwing, noncontact (26 percent), pitching (13 percent) and baserunning (contact with ground) (13 percent) accounted for the majority of reported injuries.

In softball, data show practice-injury rates (2.2) and game-injury rates (4.0) both lower than the 18-year averages for the sport. Assuming 10 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury for every 25 games. The shoulder, ankle and upper leg were the most common body parts injured in practice, accounting for 37 percent of reported injuries, while the ankle, shoulder and upper leg accounted for 31 percent of the reported injuries in games. Strains, sprains and contusions were the top three types of injuries.

Thirty-three percent of game injuries resulted in time loss of seven days or more, while 8 percent resulted in surgery. Eighteen percent of game injuries involved contact with an opposing player, followed by non-throwing, noncontact (13 percent) and hit by batted ball (12 percent).

Lacrosse

In the first year of mandated eye protection, women's lacrosse showed practice-injury rates (3.0) and game-injury rates (6.1) lower than the 18-year averages for the sport. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every 11 games. Compared to the previous three years, the rate of above-the-neck injuries was significantly lower. The lower leg, ankle and knee were the top three body parts injured during practices, accounting for 47 percent of the reported injuries, while the ankle, knee and head accounted for 58 percent of the reported injuries in game competition. Sprains, contusions and strains were the top types of injuries in games. Eight percent of game injuries were concussions.

Thirty-two percent of women's lacrosse game injuries restricted participation for seven days or more, while 14 percent resulted in surgery. Twenty-one percent of game injuries resulted from player contact and 16 percent resulted from stick contact.

In men's lacrosse, practice-injury rates (3.6) were equal and game-injury rates (11.5) were lower than the 20-year averages for the sport. Assuming 15 game participants, the game rate equates to one injury every six games.

The ankle, upper leg and knee were the top body parts injured in practices, accounting for 48 percent of injuries. The shoulder, knee and upper leg were the top body parts injured in games, accounting for 40 percent of injuries. Sprains, strains and contusions were the top three types of injuries. Concussions accounted for 9 percent of both practice and game injuries.

Forty-nine percent of game injuries resulted in time loss of seven days or more, while 11 percent resulted in surgery. Contact with another player (44 percent) and noncontact (26 percent) were the reason for most game injuries.

How the ISS works

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. 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 at www.ncaa.org/iss.