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Football injuries in US high school athletes more severe during kickoffs, punts

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New research findings suggest that injuries sustained at the beginning or middle of most football games are more severe compared to those sustained during the end or in overtime.

This finding suggests that the changes of intensity throughout competition influence risk of severe injury, according to a press release.

The beginning of a football game accounted for 16% of injuries, with 54% occurring during the middle of the game. The end of the game or during overtime accounted for 30% of injuries, according to the study conducted by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

This is the first study to assess the effects of competition intensity on injury severity in high school football, according to the press release.

“Not only does the time in competition affect injuries, but also the phase of play,” co-author Dawn Comstock, PhD, said in the release. “During kickoff and punting, a greater proportion of severe injuries occurred compared to all other phases of play. Thirty-three percent of injuries occurring during kickoff and punt were severe, and 20% were concussions.”

The study compared the effects of field location, time of competition and phase of play on injury severity. Not only did researchers find trends in the game time and phase of play, but they also reported that more than three-quarters of injuries occurred in the middle of the field, according to the press release.

“Although more injuries occurred in the middle of the field, injury severity and diagnosis varied little by field location,” Comstock said in the release. “Overall, severe injuries accounted for 20% of all injuries, with 44% of severe injuries being fractures.”

The findings were published in Research in Sports Medicine.

Reference:

• Yard EE, Comstock RD. Effects of field location, time in competition, and phase of play on injury severity in high school football. Res Sports Med. 17;1:35-49.