Neck and Cervical Spine Injuries in National College Athletic Association Athletes

Abstract

Study Design. Descriptive epidemiology study. Objective. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of neck and cervical spine injuries in collegiate athletes over a 5-year period. Summary of Background Data. The incidence and etiology of neck and cervical spine injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes has not been well defined in recent years. Methods. The incidence and characteristics of neck and cervical spine injuries were identified utilizing the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program database. Rates of injury were calculated as the number of injuries divided by the total number of athlete-exposures (AEs). AEs were defined as any student participation in one NCAA-sanctioned practice or competition. Results. Nationally, there were an estimated 11,510 neck and cervical spine injuries over the 5-year period. These occurred at a rate of 7.05 per 100,000 athlete-exposures (AEs). The rate of neck and cervical spine injuries in men was 2.66 per 100,000 AEs, while women suffered injuries at a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 AEs. In sex-comparable sports, men were 1.36 times more likely to suffer a neck or cervical spine injury compared with women. Men's football (29.09 per 100,000 AEs) and women's field hockey (11.51 per 100,000 AEs) were the sports with the highest rates of injuries. These injuries were 3.94 times more likely to occur during competition compared with practice. In-season injury rates were the highest, at 8.18 per 100,000 AEs. Conclusion. The vast majority of neck and cervical spine injuries in NCAA athletes are minor and uncommon. Across all sports in both sexes, the majority of injuries were new, and occurred during in-season competitions. Most athletes returned to play within 24 hours of injury. These data can inform players, parents, coaches, athletic trainers, and physicians regarding the prevalence and rates of these injuries and potentially inform decision-making regarding injury prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Level of Evidence: 4

Targeting rule implementation decreases neck injuries in high school football: a national injury surveillance study

“…Other severe injuries, such as fracture (2.0%), nerve injury (0.9%), and disc injury (0.1%), occurred at much lower rates compared to strains. These findings differ from rates seen in NCAA football players, in which 64.5% of neck injuries were brachial plexus-related, while 28.7% were a combination of strains, sprains, or contusions [6]. However, similar rates of disc injury and fractures occurred in NCAA football players (1.8% and 1.5%, respectively) as in this study.…”

“…Subsequently, this study may reflect injuries of greater severity. This may explain the discrepancy between the greater number of brachial plexus injuries in Deckey et al compared to nerve injuries in this study [6]. Finally, these data represent ED diagnoses stratified across 100 US hospitals and are not representative of the true incidence of neck injuries.…”

“…Football is an inherently physical sport, putting athletes at greater susceptibility of injury [3][4][5]. As a result, football players exhibit the highest rate of head, neck and cervical spine injuries compared with athletes of other sports across all age levels [6,7]. In addition, football constitutes the highest number of cervical sprains of all sports presenting to the emergency department (ED), suggesting a greater severity of injury [8].…”

“…With 90.8% of neck injuries in NCAA football resulting from direct contact, reducing helmet-to-helmet contact and axial compression is essential in minimizing neck and cervical spine injuries [6]. Neck injuries in football have been attributed to helmet-to-helmet contact when blocking, tackling, or headbutting [5].…”

Hand and Wrist Injuries in Men’s and Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball

“…Use of the NCAA-ISP has been previously well-described in the literature and will be briefly reviewed. 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 14 , 17 , 22 – 24 The NCAA-ISP utilizes a voluntary convenience sample of NCAA programs over a 5-year period. Consequently, there is variability in the number of programs participating in the data set each year.…”