Elbow Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes: A 5-Season Epidemiological Study

Abstract

Background: Little research has focused on the rates and patterns of elbow injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes. Purpose: To describe the epidemiological patterns of elbow injuries in NCAA athletes during 5 seasons over the academic years 2009 through 2014 using the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program (NCAA-ISP) database. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: A voluntary convenience sample of NCAA varsity teams from 11 sports was examined to determine the rates and patterns of elbow injuries. Rates and distributions of elbow injuries were identified within the context of sport, event type, time in season, mechanism, time lost from sport, surgical treatment, and injury type. Rates of injury were calculated as the number of injuries divided by the total number of athlete-exposures (AEs). An AE was defined as any student participation in 1 NCAA-sanctioned practice or competition with an inherent risk of exposure to potential injury. Injury rate ratios (IRRs) and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) were then calculated to compare the rates within and between sports by event type, season, sex, mechanism, surgical treatment, and time lost from sport. Comparisons between sexes were made using only sports data that had both male and female samples. Results: Overall, 373 elbow injuries were reported in the NCAA-ISP data set during the 2009-2010 through 2013-2014 academic years among 11 varsity sports. The overall rate of injury was 1.76 per 10,000 AEs. The rate of elbow injuries in men was 0.74 per 10,000 AEs, while women experienced injuries at a rate of 0.63 per 10,000 AEs. In sex-comparable sports, men were 1.17 times more likely to experience an elbow injury compared with women. Men’s wrestling (6.00/10,000 AEs) and women’s tennis (1.86/10,000 AEs) were the sports with the highest rates of elbow injuries by sex, respectively. The top 3 highest injury rates overall occurred in men’s wrestling, baseball, and tennis. Elbow injuries were 3.5 times more likely to occur during competition compared with practice. Athletes were 0.76 times less likely to sustain an elbow injury during the preseason compared with in-season. Contact events were the most common mechanism of injury (67%). For sex-comparable sports, men were 2.41 times more likely than women to have contact as their injury mechanism (95% CI, 0.78-7.38). The majority of athletes missed less than 24 hours of participation time (67%), and only a minority (3%) of patients with elbow injuries went on to have surgical intervention. Elbow ulnar collateral ligament injuries were most common (26% of total injuries). Conclusion: Analysis of the study data demonstrated a significant rate of elbow injuries, 1.76 injuries per 10,000 AEs in NCAA collegiate athletes. Higher injury rates can be expected in males within sex-comparable sports. Elbow injuries are most common in the setting of competitions and most commonly occur secondary to contact-type mechanisms. Injuries were more likely to occur during in-season play. The majority of injuries required less than 24 hours of time away from sport and did not require surgical intervention.

Acute Simple Elbow Dislocations in the United States: An Epidemiological Analysis of Trends Including COVID-19

“…Elbow dislocations are classically caused by axial loading secondary to a fall; however, a study on elbow dislocations in NCAA athletes demonstrated that over 30% of injuries in both football and wrestling occurred secondary to person-to-person contact [ 17 ]. Subsequently, the higher rates of dislocations observed in sports like football and wrestling may be explained by the additional risk of injury with contact sports [ 17 , 18 ].…”

The Finger, Wrist, and Shoulder are the Most Commonly Injured Areas in Youth Volleyball Players but the Incidence of Injuries Decreased Overall Between 2012 and 2022

“…Unlike other overhead sports, elbow injuries were less prevalent in this study, constituting only 6.7% of overall injuries. 12 , 27 , 28 This is likely due to the mechanics of the elbow acting as a fulcrum for the load in the hand. 29 Given that the load in the upper extremity is limited to the weight of the hand in volleyball, there is lower stress placed at the elbow compared to that of baseball or tennis in which the athlete is holding a baseball or tennis racket throughout the range of motion.…”

Injuries Affecting Intercollegiate Water Polo Athletes: A Descriptive Epidemiologic Study

“…This is somewhat unsurprising for a sport that relies heavily on the upper extremities for throwing, wrestling, and swimming and has comparable rates of upper extremity injuries with NCAA swimming, which is also above 40%. 15 Elbow sprains, the fourth most common injury diagnosis overall for water polo players, are also particularly prevalent in football, baseball, and wrestling, 13 which share some of the same throwing and contact requirements. The relatively low percentage of lower extremity injuries (26.1%) in water polo was mostly anticipated, compared with NCAA land sports such as basketball in which lower extremity injuries make up about 60% of injuries, with ankle sprains being the most common diagnosis.…”