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The National Collegiate Athletic Association held the first women's soccer championship in 1982; sponsorship and participation have greatly increased since.CONTEXTThe National Collegiate Athletic Association held the first women's soccer championship in 1982; sponsorship and participation have greatly increased since.Routine examinations of athlete injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns.BACKGROUNDRoutine examinations of athlete injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns.Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 seasons were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates.METHODSExposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 seasons were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates.The overall injury rate was 8.33 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains) (8.6%), concussions (8.3%), and quadriceps tears (5.0%) were the most commonly reported injuries. Rates of lateral ligament complex tears followed an increasing trajectory during the study period, whereas quadriceps tear rates fluctuated during the early years, and concussion rates decreased then increased.RESULTSThe overall injury rate was 8.33 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains) (8.6%), concussions (8.3%), and quadriceps tears (5.0%) were the most commonly reported injuries. Rates of lateral ligament complex tears followed an increasing trajectory during the study period, whereas quadriceps tear rates fluctuated during the early years, and concussion rates decreased then increased.The findings of this study were mostly consistent with existing evidence; notable temporal patterns were observed with regard to lateral ligament complex tears and concussions.SUMMARYThe findings of this study were mostly consistent with existing evidence; notable temporal patterns were observed with regard to lateral ligament complex tears and concussions.

ContextBasketball has remained a popular sport for players and spectators in the United States since before the first National Collegiate Athletic Association men's championship tournament in 1939.BackgroundRoutine examinations of men's basketball injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns.MethodsExposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 athletic seasons were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differences in injury rates.ResultsThe overall injury rate was 7.28 per 1000 athlete exposures, with competition rates twice those of practices (injury rate ratio = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.93, 2.22). Injuries to the ankle (22.2%), knee (13.0%), head/face (11.3%), and hand/wrist (10.1%) accounted for most reported injuries, with sprains (30.4%), contusions (14.3%), and strains (13.9%) most commonly reported. Ankle sprain rates initially trended upward and decreased between 2017–2018 and 2018–2019; concussion rates remained relatively stable during 2014–2015 through 2018–2019.ConclusionsFindings suggest that common injury rates are trending downward relative to previous study findings.

Concussions incurred during high school athletics are a significant health concern, and studies examining concussions with a symptom resolution time (SRT) of 15 to 28 days have been limited. To compare concussions that had an SRT of 15 to 28 days with concussions that had an SRT of greater than 28 days among US high school athletes. Descriptive epidemiology study. Secondary school athletic training clinics. Secondary school athletes. Concussion frequency, symptom number, and symptom prevalence. Among all 917 reported concussions (of which 50.8% had missing SRT), 88 had an SRT recorded as 15 to 28 days, and 29 had an SRT recorded as greater than 28 days. Greater frequencies of concussions with an SRT of 15 days or more were reported in boys' sports (n = 78) than girls' sports (n = 39). Boys' football (51.7%) and girls' basketball (11.5%) accounted for the largest proportions of all reported concussions with an SRT of 15 to 28 days; boys' football (58.6%) accounted for the greatest proportion of concussions reported with an SRT greater than 28 days. The average number of symptoms was 6.3 ± 3.4 for concussions with an SRT of 15 to 28 days and 7.2 ± 3.8 for those with an SRT greater than 28 days. The most frequently reported symptoms in concussions with both SRT of 15 to 28 days and greater than 28 days were headache, dizziness, sensitivity to light, and difficulty concentrating. The prevalence of irritability was higher in concussions with an SRT of 15 to 28 days as compared with concussions with an SRT greater than 28 days (26.1% versus 13.8%); visual problems (48.3% versus 35.2%) and hyperexcitability (24.1% versus 15.9%) were more prevalent in concussions with an SRT greater than 28 days, although differences were not statistically significant. Symptom prevalence and total count were comparable between concussions with an SRT of 15 to 28 days and those with an SRT of greater than 28 days with no statistically significant difference, suggesting that symptom burdens within these groups are more similar than they are different.

The findings of this study were in line with the existing epidemiological evidence, although notable temporal patterns were observed. Incidence trajectories of commonly observed injuries warrant particular attention in the future.

ContextThe National Collegiate Athletic Association has supported men's baseball championships since 1947. Since its inception, the number of participating teams and athletes has considerably expanded.BackgroundFrequently conducting injury surveillance of collegiate baseball athletes is essential for identifying developing temporal patterns.MethodsExposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics; injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates.ResultsThe overall injury rate was 3.16 per 1000 athlete-exposures. The preseason injury rate was significantly higher than the regular season injury rate. The most commonly injured body parts were shoulder (16.1%), arm or elbow (16%), and hand or wrist (13.9%). The most reported specific injury was hamstring tear (7.9%).ConclusionsThe findings of this study aligned with previous studies—most injuries were due to noncontact and overuse mechanisms, less than one-half of injuries were related to upper extremity body parts, and one-third of all injuries were reported among pitchers.

Research that has examined the association between specialization and injury in basketball has been limited to cross-sectional or retrospective studies. To determine whether specialization is a risk factor for injury among high school basketball athletes. Prospective cohort study. Basketball players from 12 high schools participating in the National Athletic Treatment, Injury, and Outcomes Network Surveillance Program (NATION-SP) were recruited before the 2022-2023 interscholastic basketball season. One-hundred thirty athletes (mean age ± SD = 15.6 ± 1.3; girls' basketball: n = 68 [52.3%]). Before the start of the school basketball season, participants completed a questionnaire that had questions regarding participation in various specialized sport behaviors. During the basketball season, the school's athletic trainer reported all athlete-exposures and injuries (regardless of time loss) for participating athletes into NATION-SP. Injury incidence and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs were calculated for the specialized sport behaviors previously described. No difference in injury risk between highly specialized and low specialized athletes was found (IRR [95% CI] = 1.9 [0.9, 3.7]). Players who participated in basketball year round were twice as likely to sustain an injury than those who did not play year round (IRR [95% CI] = 2.1 [1.1, 3.6]). Similarly, players who reported participating in basketball skills camps were at increased risk of injury compared with athletes who did not participate in basketball skill camps (IRR [95% CI] = 2.5 [1.2, 5.7]). Injury risk related to sport specialization in basketball may be specific to certain behaviors such as year-round play and participation in skills camps. Validated measures of comprehensive sport activity are needed to better measure specialization in youth sports to better determine injury risk related to sport specialization and develop injury prevention programs for basketball athletes.

Helmets and shoulder pads are required equipment intended to protect American football athletes by attenuating collision forces during participation. Surprisingly, research differentiating kinematics from head impacts initiated by helmets from those initiated by shoulder pads among adolescent athletes has not been completed. The current study’s purpose was to determine the effects of equipment on head impact kinematics. Sixty-nine male American football athletes from three high schools wore helmets equipped with Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) System instrumentation to quantify peak linear (g) and rotational (rad/s2) accelerations. Data were extracted for video-confirmed impacts during two competitions. Separate multivariable linear regressions using ordinary least squares were conducted to determine if equipment type (helmet vs. shoulder pad) was associated with log-transformed linear and rotational accelerations. In total, 1150 video-confirmed impacts involved helmet (N = 960) or shoulder pad (N = 190) initiated contact. Linear (p = 0.809) and rotational (p = 0.351) acceleration were not associated with equipment type. Head impact kinematics were similar between impacts initiated by either helmets or shoulder pads and suggests an opponent’s shoulder pads and helmet can deliver comparable forces to the struck player. Equipment manufacturers may need to consider the unintended role shoulder pads may contribute to head injury risk.

ContextFootball is among the most popular collegiate sports in the United States, and participation in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football has risen in recent years.BackgroundContinued monitoring of football injuries is important for capturing the evolving burden of injuries in NCAA football. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of football-related injuries among men's NCAA football players during the 2014–2015 through 2018–2019 academic years.MethodsExposure and injury data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates.ResultsThe overall injury rate was 9.31 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Most injuries occurred during general play (17.5%), blocking (15.8%), and tackling (14.0%). Concussions (7.5%), lateral ligament complex tears (6.9%), and hamstring tears (4.7%) were the most commonly reported injuries.ConclusionsResults of this study were generally consistent with previous findings, though changes over time in rates of commonly reported injuries warrant attention. Continued monitoring of injury incidence is needed to appraise the effectiveness of recently implemented rules changes.

The increasing trend in practice injury incidence is noteworthy although competition injury rates were higher overall. Findings also suggest that the etiologies of overuse injuries and inflammatory conditions as well as the biomechanical aspects of concussions warrant further attention.

Higher rates of practice and competition injuries, as well as ankle sprains, were observed relative to previous reports; continuous monitoring is necessary to identify potential contributing factors to these trends.