NCAA Injury Surveillance System Report Highlights and Recommendations

1
NCAA Injury Surveillance System ReportHighlights
and Recommendations

• Jennifer M. Hootman PhD, ATC, FACSM
• Section Editor
• Journal of Athletic Training

2
Key Messages

• In general, collegiate US sports are safe
• Broad implementation of injury prevention
  initiatives may improve safety
• General across sports
• Sport-specific
• Game and practice
• 50 of all injuries lower extremity
• 14 are ankle ligament sprains
• Preseason practice injury rates are 2-3 times
  higher than in-season rates

3
The report captures

• 16 years - 1988-89 to 2003-04
• 15 sports 7 men, 8 women
• gt180,000 injuries
• gt1 million exposures

4
General Findings - safety

• For a team of 50 athletes
• 1 injury every 2 competitions
• 1 injury every 5 practices
• Highest Football both practices (Spring
  9.6/1000 AE Fall 4.0/1000 AE) and games
  (35.9/1000 AE)
• Lowest Baseball (practice 1.8/1000 AE) and
  Softball (game 4.3/1000 AE).
• Over 75 of injuries were not severe (lt10 days
  time loss)
• Low proportion of re-injuries (18)

5
General Findings - disparities

• Collision and contact sports have highest rates
• Player contact is primary mechanism even in
  sports with little or no contact allowed (WIH,
  MW SOC, MW BKB)
• Preseason rates higher than in-season
• Competition rates higher than practice
• Increased rates of concussion and ACLs likely
  due to increased awareness, detection, and
  reporting

6
General Findings -improvements

• Competition rates on the decline last 2 years
• 4 sports significant decline
• Competition (WGYM, WFH, WBKB)
• Practice (WBKB, Spring MFB)

7
Select Sport Findings - Prevention

• Mens Basketball face and head injuries
• Rule/policy changes to decrease lane crowding and
  player contact
• Mens Wrestling skin infections
• 17 of all practice injuries lots of time loss
• Need comprehensive infection control and
  management policies and procedures
• MW Soccer/W. Volleyball ankle injuries
• Multidimensional ankle injury prevention programs

8
Current Evidence-based Prevention Initiatives

• Ankle tape/brace and balance exercise
• Reduce incident and re-current ankle sprains 50
• Standard of Care for all sports with high risk
• Target those with a prior history of injury
• Neuromuscular conditioning programs
• May reduce the risk of ACLs in soccer 50
• May be effective for all lower extremity injuries
  and applicable to various sports

9
Current Evidence-based Prevention Initiatives

• Data driven rule/policy changes
• Football preseason rule changes
• Womens lacrosse eye protection
• Breakaway bases in baseball and softball
• In community and scholastic settings shown to
  reduce injuries by as much as 90
• Allowable in NCAA, but not required unknown
  benefit

10
Future Research Areas

• Capture data from non-traditional seasons for
  other sports
• Sport-specific equipment, protective devices
• Shoulder pads in ice hockey
• Gloves/helmets in field hockey
• Helmets in mens lacrosse
• Expand ACL research to sports other than soccer
  and basketball (football, gymnastics, softball
  and wrestling)
• General and sport-specific factors that
  contribute to high pre-season injury rates