Rate of spine injuries related to football did not improve from 2010 to 2019
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Results showed no improvement in the number of spine injuries associated with football from 2010 to 2019, with a near significant trend for an increasing rate in cervical spine injuries.
Comron Saifi, MD, and colleagues used the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to identify patients with spinal injuries sustained while playing football from 2010 to 2019.
“Over two-thirds of the patients in our study who had spine injuries were from 10 to 19 years of age,” Saifi said in his presentation at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting. “This includes obviously not only recreational, but high school athletes who are playing football.”
Throughout the United States, 1.5 to 2 individuals per 100,000 individuals experienced spine-related injuries due to football, according to Saifi. Prior to substratification, Saifi noted the number of individuals who experienced spine-related injuries due to football fluctuated throughout 2010 to 2019.
“We did not find any difference in the numbers, so there was no improvement, which has been a concern to improve injuries. But, we found no improvement over the past 10 years for total numbers or per 100,000 population,” Saifi said.
After substratification by cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine levels, Saifi noted there was a trend toward an increase in cervical spine injuries associated with recreational football. He added there was an insignificant difference in the total number of thoracic and lumbar spine injuries. When data were substratified by region of the spine and patient age, Saifi noted patient age had a significant effect on the region of the spine that was injured.
“Children had an increased risk of thoracic spine injuries, which was clearly demonstrated by our results, and adults have an increased risk of lumbar spine injuries,” Saifi said.
Pediatric patients also had a higher rate of vertebral fractures, while adult patients had a higher rate of nerve root injuries, according to Saifi.
He added 27% of patients who went to the ED after sustaining a spine injury from football had admission or transfer to another care facility.
“We did a regression analysis on that data, and we found that independent predictors of hospital admission included age 15 to 20 [years], which had about a 1.9 odds ratio; African American patients, which had about 1.5 odds ratio; and then injuries of the cervical and thoracic spine had a higher rate of admission or transfer,” Saifi said.
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Mohanty S, et al. Paper 258. Presented at: North American Spine Society Annual Meeting. Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2021; Boston (hybrid meeting).
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