Epidemiology of American football injuries at universities in the United Kingdom

John M. Bayram*, David F. Hamilton, David H. Saunders

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)
146 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: College-level American football injury data are routinely collected; however, data relating to American football injuries at universities in the United Kingdom have 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 the injury data of 410 players from 56 UK university 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 were analyzed to determine the incidence and patterns of injury. Results: Overall,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. Most injuries were classified as severe (time loss of>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 in defensive players versus offensive players.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages10
JournalOrthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine
Volume8
Issue number10
Early online date29 Oct 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • football (American)
  • head injuries/concussion
  • general sports trauma
  • epidemiology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

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