Abstract
Background:College level American football injury data are routinely collected, however data relating to UK university American football injuries has never been reported.Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of UK university American football injuries.
Study Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.
Methods An online survey tool was used to collect injury data of 410 players from 56 UK university American football teams who participated in the 2014-2015 British Universities and College Sports American football season. Survey data were collected from January to February 2016 and analysed to determine the incidence and patterns of injury.Results:710 injuries and 204 concussions were self-reported among the 410 participants, of which 334 (81.5%) were injured and 131 (32.0%) experienced concussion symptoms. The rate of injury per 100 athlete-seasons was greater in defensive players (195.3) than offensive players (155.1). The most common injuries were knee and ankle ligament injuries. The most common time loss for an injury was >4 weeks.Conclusion:UK university American football injuries differ markedly from those reported for US colleges. UK university players appear to have less playing experience, greater concussion risks, more severe injuries and a greater proportion of injuries to defensive players.
Study Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.
Methods An online survey tool was used to collect injury data of 410 players from 56 UK university American football teams who participated in the 2014-2015 British Universities and College Sports American football season. Survey data were collected from January to February 2016 and analysed to determine the incidence and patterns of injury.Results:710 injuries and 204 concussions were self-reported among the 410 participants, of which 334 (81.5%) were injured and 131 (32.0%) experienced concussion symptoms. The rate of injury per 100 athlete-seasons was greater in defensive players (195.3) than offensive players (155.1). The most common injuries were knee and ankle ligament injuries. The most common time loss for an injury was >4 weeks.Conclusion:UK university American football injuries differ markedly from those reported for US colleges. UK university players appear to have less playing experience, greater concussion risks, more severe injuries and a greater proportion of injuries to defensive players.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine |
| Early online date | 29 Oct 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 29 Oct 2020 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- football (American)
- head injuries
- concussion
- general sports trauma
- epidemiology