Article

More than 7 million athletes participate in high school sports
annually, with both the benefits of physical activity and risks of injury.
Although catastrophic cervical spine injuries have been studied, limited data are
available that characterize less-severe cervical spine injuries in high school
athletes. OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare cervical spine injury rates and
patterns among U.S. high school athletes across 24 sports over a 10-year period.
DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. SETTING: National sample of high schools
participating in the High School Reporting Information Online injury surveillance
system. PARTICIPANTS: Athletes from participating schools injured in a school
sanctioned practice, competition, or performance during the 2005-2006 through
2014-2015 academic years. METHODS: Cervical spine injury data captured by the
High School Reporting Information Online system during the 10-year study period
were examined. Cervical spine injury was defined as any injury to the cervical
spinal cord, bones, nerves, or supporting structures of the cervical spine
including muscles, ligaments, and tendons. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Cervical
spine injury rates, diagnoses, mechanisms, and severities. RESULTS: During the
study period, 1080 cervical spine injuries were reported during 35,581,036
athlete exposures for an injury rate of 3.04 per 100,000 athlete exposures.
Injury rates were highest in football (10.10), wrestling (7.42), and girls'
gymnastics (4.95). Muscle injuries were most common (63.1%), followed by nerve
injuries (20.5%). A larger proportion of football injuries were nerve injuries
compared with all other sports (injury proportion ratio 3.31; confidence interval
2.33-4.72), whereas in boys' ice hockey fractures represented a greater
proportion of injuries compared with all other sports (injury proportion ratio
7.64; confidence interval 2.10-27.83). Overall, the most common mechanisms of
injury were contact with another player (70.7%) and contact with playing surface
(16.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical spine injury rates and patterns vary by sport and
gender. Characterizing these differences is the first step in developing
effective, evidence-based prevention guidelines. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
CI - Copyright (c) 2018 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS