Comparison of Kinematics for Head Impacts Initiated by Helmets and Shoulder Pads Among High School American Football 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.

Differences in Overuse Injuries in Gender-Comparable Sports: A Nationally Representative Sample of High School Athletes.

CONTEXT: Participation in high school sports has physical, physiological, and social development benefits, while increasing the risk of acute and overuse injuries. Risk of sports-related overuse injury differs between boys and girls. OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in overuse injuries among United States high school athletes participating in the gender-comparable sports of soccer, basketball, and baseball/softball. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study using a nationally representative sample from the High School Reporting Information Online (RIOTM) database. SETTING: High schools. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Athletes with overuse injuries during the 2006-2007 through 2018-2019 academic years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: National estimates and rates of overuse injuries were extrapolated from weighted observed numbers (with the independent variables: sport, gender, academic year, class year, event type, body site, diagnosis, recurrence, activity, and position). RESULTS: Among an estimated 908, 295 overuse injuries nationally, 43.9% (n=398,419) occurred in boys' soccer, basketball, and baseball, while 56.1% (n=509,876) occurred in girls' soccer, basketball, and softball. When comparing gender across sports, girls were more likely to sustain an overuse injury than boys (soccer: IRR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.20-1.57; basketball: IRR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.56-2.14; and baseball/softball: IRR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.04-1.41). Most overuse injuries in soccer and basketball for both genders occurred to a lower extremity (soccer: 83.9% [175,369/209,071] for boys, 90.0% [243,879/271,092] for girls; basketball: 77.0% [59,239/76,884] for boys, 80.5% [81,826/101,709] for girls), while most overuse injuries in baseball and softball were to an upper extremity (72.5% [81,363/112,213] for boys, 53.7% [73,557/136,990] for girls). For boys' baseball, pitching (43.5% [47,007/107,984]) was the most common activity associated with an overuse injury, which differed from the most common activity of throwing (31.7% [39,921/126,104]) for girls' softball. CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences observed in this study can help guide future strategies that are more specific to gender and sport to reduce overuse injuries among high school athletes.

Epidemiology of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes: 2014/2015-2018/2019.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of ACL tears in NCAA men's and women's sports. METHODS: Injury and exposure data collected within the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program from 2014/2015 to 2018/2019 were analyzed. ACL tear frequencies, injury rates (IR), and injury proportions were used to describe injury incidence by sport, event type, injury mechanism, and injury history. Injury rate ratios (IRR) were used to examine differential injury rates, and injury proportion ratios (IPR) were used to examine differential distributions. RESULTS: A total of 729 ACL tears were reported from 8,474,401 recorded athlete exposures (AE) during the study period (IR = 0.86 per 10,000 AE), and the competition-related ACL tear rate was higher than the practice-related rate (IRR = 5.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.75-6.39). Among men's sports, the highest overall ACL tear rate was observed in men's football (IR = 1.44 per 10,000 AE), whereas among women's sports, the highest overall rate was observed in women's soccer (IR = 2.60 per 10,000 AE). Among sex-comparable sports, ACL tear rates were higher in women's basketball, softball, and soccer, as compared with their men's counterparts. ACL tears were more prevalently attributed to player contact mechanisms in men's sports than women's sports (IPR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.37-2.19), but more prevalently attributed to noncontact mechanisms in women's sports than men's sports (IPR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.01-1.35). CONCLUSIONS: ACL tear risk in women's sports continues to warrant attention and prevention efforts. Given the differential rates by event type, future research efforts may also evaluate initiatives to reduce competition-related injury burden in NCAA sports.

Epidemiology of Lateral Ligament Complex Tears of the Ankle in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Sports: 2014-15 Through 2018-19.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies of lateral ankle sprains in NCAA sports are important in appraising the burden of this injury and informing prevention efforts. PURPOSE: To describe the epidemiology of lateral ankle sprains in NCAA sports during the 2014-15 through 2018-19 seasons. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: Injury and exposure information collected within the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program (ISP) were examined. Counts, rates, and proportions of lateral ankle sprains were used to describe injury incidence by sport, event type (practices, competitions), season segment (preseason, regular season, postseason), injury mechanism (player contact, noncontact, and surface contact, injury history (new, recurrent), and time loss (time loss [≥1 day], non-time loss). Injury rate ratios (IRRs) were used to examine differential injury rates, and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) were used to examine differential distributions. RESULTS: A total of 3910 lateral ankle sprains were reported (4.61 per 10,000 athlete exposures) during the study period, and the overall rate was highest in men's basketball (11.82 per 10,000 athlete exposures). The competition-related injury rate was higher than the practice-related rate (IRR, 3.24; 95% CI, 3.04-3.45), and across season segments, the overall rate was highest in preseason (4.99 per 10,000 athlete exposures). Lateral ankle sprains were most often attributed to player-contact mechanisms in men's (43.2%) and women's sports (35.1%), although injuries were more prevalently attributed to player contact in men's than in women's sports (IPR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.13-1.34). Overall, 49.7% of all lateral ankle sprains were time loss injuries. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study are consistent with previous epidemiological investigations of lateral ankle sprains among NCAA athletes. Results offer additional context on differential injury mechanisms between men's and women's sports and on injury risk across the competitive season. Future research may examine the effectiveness of deploying injury prevention programs before the start of a season.

Traumatic dental injuries in high school athletes in the United States of America from 2005 to 2020.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Participation in sports activities is a source of dental injury. Despite recommendations for the use of mouthguards, athletes underutilize them. The aim of this study was to provide estimates of dental injuries, the mechanism of injuries and the utilization of mouthguards in high school sports. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of an existing dataset of a convenience sample of the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. Data of athletic exposures, dental injuries, mouthguard usage, and mechanism of injury from the 2005/2006 to the 2019/2020 academic years were analyzed. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 459 dental injuries in 49,987,927 athletic exposures resulting in a dental injury rate of 0.9 per 100,000 athletic exposures (AE). Slightly more than half of the traumatic dental injuries were sustained during competition (n = 256; 55.8%) and the rest (n = 200; 43.6%) were sustained during practice. The rate of dental injury in competition was 3.6 times higher than the rate in practice (RR: 3.6, 95% CI: 3.0-4.4). Dental injuries comprised 0.4% of the total 108,574 injuries sustained by athletes. Among girls' sports, field hockey had the highest rate (3.5 per 100,000 AE) and among boys' sports, basketball (2.4 per 100,000 AE) had the highest rate of dental injury. The most common mechanism of injury was contact with another player (276; 60.4%) followed by contact with apparatus (146; 31.9%). In the majority of dental injuries (308; 75.1%), the athlete was not wearing a mouthguard when the dental injury was sustained. CONCLUSIONS: Dental injuries were a small proportion of all injuries sustained by high school athletes. The majority of dental injuries were sustained when the athlete was not wearing a mouthguard.

Patterns and predictors of concussion symptom presentations in NCAA athletes.

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is a complex injury, and SRCs are notably prevalent among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes. We analysed SRCs and associated exposure data collected within the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program during 2014-2019. A total of 1,709 SRCs were reported with complete symptom profiles during the study period (Women's sports n = 499; Men's sports n = 1,210). Event type and academic class year most commonly predicted specific symptom presentations among athletes in men's sports, while symptom presentation among athletes in women's sports was most commonly predicted by class year and sport classification. We observed 78 and 69 significant pairwise symptom dependencies in men's and women's sports athletes, respectively; odds of longer symptom resolution time were higher with greater counts of symptoms with strongest cross-domain associations. Our findings highlight several contextual predictors of specific symptom presentations and identify parsimonious symptom subsets that may indicate protracted recovery among men's and women's sports athletes.

Epidemiological Comparison of ACL Injuries on Different Playing Surfaces in High School Football and Soccer.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common serious injuries to athletes in the United States. Among high school sports, the highest rates of ACL injury occur in soccer and football. Purpose: To compare ACL injuries on artificial turf and natural grass using a nationally representative sample of high school athletes participating in football and boys' and girls' soccer. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: ACL injuries among high school athletes participating in football and soccer were obtained from the High School Reporting Information Online surveillance system during the 2007-08 through 2018-19 school years. National estimates and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) with 95% CIs were calculated for ACL injuries that occurred on artificial turf versus natural grass. Results: A total of 1039 ACL injuries were reported, which represented an estimated 389,320 (95% CI, 358,010-420,630) injuries nationally. There were 74,620 estimated football-related ACL injuries on artificial turf and 122,654 on natural grass. Likewise, 71,877 of the estimated soccer-related ACL injuries occurred on artificial turf and 104,028 on natural grass. A contact-injury mechanism accounted for 50.2% of football-related ACL injuries on artificial turf and 60.8% on natural grass. For soccer-related ACL injuries, a noncontact mechanism predominated on artificial turf (61.5%) and natural grass (66.4%). Among all injuries, ACL injuries were more likely to occur on artificial turf than natural grass in both football (IPR, 1.23 [95% CI, 1.03-1.47]) and girls' soccer (IPR, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.08-2.16]); however, no significant association was found in boys' soccer (IPR, 1.65 [95% CI, 0.99-2.75]). Among lower extremity injuries, ACL injuries were more likely to occur on artificial turf than natural grass in both boys' soccer (IPR, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.03-2.85]) and girls' soccer (IPR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.14-2.26]); however, the association was not significant in football (IPR, 1.17 [95% CI, 0.98-1.39]). Conclusion: ACL injuries were more likely to occur (ie, had larger IPRs) on artificial turf than natural grass; however, this relationship was not statistically significant for all sports.

Epidemiology of Concussions in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Sports: 2014/15-2018/19.

BACKGROUND: Updated epidemiology studies examining sports-related concussions (SRCs) are critical in evaluating recent efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of SRCs in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports. PURPOSE: To describe the epidemiology of SRCs in 23 NCAA sports during the 2014/15-2018/19 academic years. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: SRC and exposure data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics by sport, event type (practices, competitions), injury mechanism (player contact, surface contact, equipment/apparatus contact), and injury history (new, recurrent). Injury rate ratios (IRRs) were used to examine differential injury rates, and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) were used to examine differential distributions. RESULTS: A total of 3497 SRCs from 8,474,400 athlete-exposures (AEs) were reported during the study period (4.13 per 10,000 AEs); the competition-related SRC rate was higher than was the practice-related SRC rate (IRR, 4.12; 95% CI, 3.86-4.41). The highest SRC rates were observed in men's ice hockey (7.35 per 10,000 AEs) and women's soccer (7.15 per 10,000 AEs); rates in women's soccer and volleyball increased during 2015/16-2018/19. Player contact was the most prevalently reported mechanism in men's sports (77.0%), whereas equipment/apparatus contact was the most prevalently reported mechanism in women's sports (39.2%). Sex-related differences were observed in soccer, basketball, softball/baseball, and swimming and diving. Most SRCs reported in men's sports (84.3%) and women's sports (81.1%) were reported as new injuries. CONCLUSION: Given the increasing SRC rates observed in women's soccer and volleyball during the latter years of the study, these results indicate the need to direct further attention toward trajectories of SRC incidence in these sports. The prevalence of equipment/apparatus contact SRCs in women's sports also suggests that SRC mechanisms in women's sports warrant further investigation. As most SRCs during the study period were reported as new injuries, the prevalence of recurrent SRCs in men's and women's ice hockey is also noteworthy.

An epidemiologic comparison of acute and overuse injuries in high school sports.

BACKGROUND: Acute and overuse injuries affect millions of high school athletes annually and a better understanding of differences between these injuries is needed to help guide prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies. This study compares acute and overuse injuries using a nationally representative sample of high school athletes. METHODS: Injuries among United States high school athletes participating in 5 boys' sports (football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, baseball) and 4 girls' sports (soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball) reported in the High School RIO™ surveillance system during the 2006-07 through 2018-19 school years were classified as acute or overuse. National estimates and injury rates were calculated. RESULTS: Of 17 434 646 estimated injuries, 92.0 % were acute and 8.0 % were overuse. The acute injury rate was higher than the overuse injury rate among both male (Rate Ratio [RR] 16.38, 95 % CI: 15.70-17.10) and female (RR 8.14, 95 % CI: 7.71-8.60) athletes. The overuse injury rate per 10,000 athlete exposures among female athletes (1.8) was slightly higher than among males (1.4). The rate of acute injury compared with the rate of overuse injury was higher during competition (RR 32.00, 95 % CI: 29.93-34.22) than practice (RR 7.19, 95 % CI: 6.91-7.47). Boys' football contributed the most acute (42.1 %) and overuse (23.7 %) injuries among the 9 sports. Among female sports, girls' soccer contributed the most acute (15.6 % of all acute injuries) and overuse (19.4 % of all overuse injuries) injuries. The lower extremity was most commonly injured in acute (48.9 %) and overuse (65.9 %) injuries. Ligament sprain (31.7 %) and concussion (21.0 %) were the most common acute injury diagnoses, while muscle strain (23.3 %) and tendonitis (23.2 %) were the most common overuse injury diagnoses. Compared with acute injuries, overuse injuries were more likely to result in time loss from sports participation of < 1 week among both boys and girls and across most sports. Acute injuries were more likely than overuse injuries to cause a time loss of 1-3 weeks or medical disqualification from sports participation. CONCLUSIONS: Acute and overuse injuries display many differences that provide opportunities for data-informed athlete preparation, treatment, and rehabilitation, which may reduce injuries and improve injury outcomes in high school athletics.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: The National Collegiate Athletic Association held the first women's soccer championship in 1982; sponsorship and participation have greatly increased since. BACKGROUND: Routine examinations of athlete injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. SUMMARY: 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.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Soccer: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: The National Collegiate Athletic Association has sponsored men's soccer programs since 1959, and the popularity of the sport has grown over time. BACKGROUND: Routine examinations of athlete injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns. METHODS: Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program from 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. RESULTS: The overall injury rate was 8.51 per 1000 athlete exposures. Lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains) (9.2%), hamstring tears (7.0%), and concussions (5.2%) were the most commonly reported injuries. Rates of lateral ligament complex tears remained stable from 2014-2015 through 2018-2019, whereas hamstring tear rates decreased and concussion rates increased. SUMMARY: 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.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Baseball: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: The 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. BACKGROUND: Frequently conducting injury surveillance of collegiate baseball athletes is essential for identifying developing temporal patterns. METHODS: Exposure 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. RESULTS: The 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%). CONCLUSIONS: The 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.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Volleyball: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: Women's volleyball is a globally popular sport with widespread participation at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level. BACKGROUND: Routine examinations of NCAA women's volleyball injuries are important for recognizing emerging injury-related patterns in this population. METHODS: Exposure and injury data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 athletic years 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. RESULTS: The overall injury rate was 6.73 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Knee (14.6%) and ankle (13.8%) injuries accounted for the largest proportion of all reported injuries, and most injuries were attributed to overuse (26.1%) or noncontact (22.7%) mechanisms. Lateral ankle ligament complex tears (11.1%) and concussions (7.3%) were the most commonly reported specific injury. SUMMARY: Results indicate an increasing burden of practice-related injuries and the need to further examine overuse injuries. Lower-extremity injury prevention strategies and mechanisms of concussion also warrant further attention.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Lacrosse: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: Lacrosse is an increasingly popular sport; the number of teams participating in collegiate women's lacrosse has increased by 21.4% in the past 5 years. BACKGROUND: The growth of National Collegiate Athletic Association women's lacrosse, coupled with the ongoing discussions surrounding protective equipment, necessitates further epidemiologic studies in this population. METHODS: Exposure 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, and injury rate ratios with 95% CIs were used to examine differential injury rates. RESULTS: The overall injury rate was 4.99 per 1000 athlete exposures. Less than 30% of injuries were time-loss injuries; injuries were most commonly attributed to noncontact (26.6%) and overuse (25.2%) mechanisms. The most commonly reported specific injuries were lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains; 9.1%), concussions (7.2%), and hamstring tears (3.8%). SUMMARY: Findings from this study were consistent with the existing epidemiologic evidence in previous studies. Injury incidence in practices, in preseason, and as a result of player contact warrant further attention in this population.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Basketball: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: Frequent inspection of sports-related injury epidemiology among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women's basketball student-athletes is valuable for identifying injury-related patterns. BACKGROUND: Emerging patterns in epidemiology of NCAA women's basketball injuries are unknown though general sports medicine practices, and playing rules and regulations have evolved in recent years. METHODS: Athlete exposures (AEs) and injury incidence data were reported to the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program between 2014-2015 and 2018-2019. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to examine injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios (IRRs) were used to assess injury rate differences. RESULTS: Practice and competition injury rates were 5.93 and 10.35 per 1000 AEs, respectively. Preseason injury rates were higher than regular (IRR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.31, 1.53) and postseason (IRR = 3.12; 95% CI = 2.39, 4.07). Ankle sprains (14.3%), concussions (7.5%), and anterior cruciate ligament tears (2.5%) were the most commonly reported injuries. SUMMARY: 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.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Swimming and Diving: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has sponsored men's swimming and diving since 1937. BACKGROUND: Routine examinations of men's swimming and diving injuries are important for identifying emerging injury-related patterns. METHODS: Exposure and injury data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 academic years 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. RESULTS: The overall injury rate was 1.56 per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs) for swimmers and 1.52 per 1000 AEs for divers. Shoulder (27.0%) injuries accounted for the largest proportion of all swimming injuries, and most injuries were attributed to overuse mechanisms (42.6%). Shoulder (23.3%) and trunk (23.3%) injuries accounted for the largest proportion of all diving injuries, and most injuries resulted from surface contact (32.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Findings were consistent with existing literature on swimming and diving. The need for continued surveillance, coupled with more robust participation by swimming and diving programs was also highlighted.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Cross-Country: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: Women's cross-country is a thriving sport at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level with over 1000 sponsored programs association-wide. BACKGROUND: Routine examinations of women's cross-country injuries are important for identifying emerging time trends in injury incidence and outcomes. METHODS: Exposure and injury data collected in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program from 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. RESULTS: The overall injury rate was 3.96 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Most reported injuries were inflammatory conditions (33.6%), strains (17.7%), and fractures (9.1%). The most commonly reported injuries were medial tibial stress syndrome (10.0%) and lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains; 4.2%). SUMMARY: Findings of this study were not entirely consistent with existing evidence. Future studies are needed to examine the nature of inflammatory conditions and fractures in this population, as well as temporal patterns in commonly reported injuries.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Track and Field: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: Women's track and field events at the National Collegiate Athletic Association level have grown in popularity in recent years, and track and field athletes are vulnerable to a broad range of potential injuries. BACKGROUND: Routine examination of track and field injuries is important for identifying emerging patterns in injury incidence. METHODS: Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014-2015 to 2018-2019 academic years were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. RESULTS: The overall injury rate was 2.20 per 1000 athlete exposures; the competition injury rate was higher than the practice injury rate (injury rate ratio = 1.73; 95% confidence interval = 1.51, 1.97). Hamstring tears (8.9%), medial tibial stress syndrome (5.4%), and lateral ligament complex tears (4.2%) were the most reported injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Given the results of this study, further attention may be directed toward factors associated with noncontact injury risk in the competitions. The changing injury rates of most reported injuries also warrant monitoring post 2018-2019.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Cross-Country: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019.

CONTEXT: The National Collegiate Athletic Association has sponsored men's cross-country programs since 1938, and the sport has grown greatly in scope since then. BACKGROUND: Routine examinations of men's cross-country injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns. METHODS: Exposure 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, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates. RESULTS: The overall injury rate was 4.01 per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs). Most reported injuries were inflammatory conditions (30.2%), strains (18.7%), and sprains (11.5%); rates of inflammatory conditions were highest in preseason. The most commonly reported injuries were lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains; 8.2%). SUMMARY: Findings of this study were not entirely consistent with existing evidence; continued monitoring of competition injury rates and rates of commonly reported injuries is needed beyond 2018-2019.