Football Injuries
With the high school football season ending, parents might be curious if their son or daughter should play football or flag football. College Bowl season is about to start. The Super Bowl is just a month away. What do we know about injuries in the sport?
Although football is America’s most popular spectator sport, the number of football participants at ages 13-17 (1.46 million) still trails basketball (3.44 million), baseball (2.18 million) and soccer (1.48 million) and is only slightly ahead of tennis (1.41 million) as of 2020.
Participation in high school football has been shrinking for years, in part because of parents’ fears of injuries. The Aspen Institute’s “State of Play” from 2020, from which the above figures are also derived, states, “High school participation shrunk again in 2019, but at a much slower rate than in previous years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. The organization’s annual survey showed 2,489 fewer football players in 2019, marking the 10th time in 11 years that participation has dropped. But the 2019 drop was much less than 2016-18 (23,311, 20,540 and 30,829).”
“I think there’s a little bit of restored trust in the quality of attention to risk minimization, coach education and parent education,” Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations told the Aspen Institute.
High school injuries
According to a report at Healthline, a high school athlete is about three times more likely to get hurt than competitors in other major sports.That injury is more likely to be to their head or face. It’s also far more likely the injury will happen during a game instead of practice. It’s unlikely the injury will require surgery, and if it does, chances are it won’t have any serious lingering effects.
David Mills from Healthline reports that the injury rate during competition has ranged from 11.26 to 13.52 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures over the past decade. Another And Colorado researcher estimates there are more than 500,000 injuries of some sort to high school football players nationwide every year.
According to Mills, “In 2015, 28 percent of the football injuries were to a players’ head or face. Those included concussions. Another 14 percent were knees, 11 percent were ankles, and 10 percent were shoulders. About 68 percent of the injuries happened while players were tackling. Another 22 percent occurred while players were blocking.”
Sports Illustrated reports that 11 high school football players were killed while playing the sport in 2015.
Parents are urged to scope out both a school’s program as well as the football coach before their child signs up. Does the coach teach good techniques and put their athletes’ safety first?
College football injuries
A recent study notes that many college players underestimate the risk of football-related injury in general and concussions specifically, even though 34 percent reported sustaining at least one suspected concussion in the previous football season.
According to “At Your Own Risk,” a website devoted to student athlete safety, “Team spirit, school spirit––these are all great things. However, many times, a student athlete will let these get between them and their own personal safety.
54 percent of student athletes in a recent survey confessed to having played while injured. When asked why, they answered, ‘I couldn’t let the team down’ or ‘It was an important game.’
42 percent of student athletes said they have hidden or downplayed an injury during a game so they can keep playing.
62 percent of student athletes claim to know someone else who has done the same.
53 percent of coaches complain that they have felt pressure from a parent or player to put a student athlete back into a game after the student athlete had been injured.”
Because of the level of play, injuries sustained while playing college football resemble pro sports injuries in severity and frequency.
Pro sports injuries
We have all enjoyed Sunday nights watching football, it’s not uncommon to see a player injured. Here are some of the injuries football players are usually seen and treated for.
Scott Jenkins of Sportscasting.com, lists the most common NFL injuries as follows:
Knee
Foot and ankle
Concussion/head
Shoulder
Upper leg
Knee injuries have topped the injury list every year since 2000, according to Jenkins. The parts of the knee that are most commonly affected are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). An ACL tear can be a season-ending injury. These tears can occur while changing directions while running or landing too hard on a leg.
Ankle and foot injuries include strains and breaks. Jenning says that “better” lighter cleats recently introduced for performance reasons may actually contribute to these injuries.
Concussions are the most talked about injuries that NFL players face because they can impact the quality of the player’s life going forward. Jennings writes, “As the third most common NFL injury, concussions are still prevalent despite better protective gear and improved concussion protocol. When a person experiences brain trauma, it takes a long time to recover. This is why a player who has a concussion often misses many games before returning. More importantly, brain trauma can affect other systems and processes in the body long-term. Football players are susceptible to concussions because the head can take a nasty blow when a player hits the ground or an opponent’s helmet.”
Shoulder injuries hit quarterbacks the hardest. These injuries include rotator cuff tendonitis, biceps tendonitis, acromioclavicular joint sprain, and dislocation.
Hamstring injury is the most common upper leg injury. Without a proper warm-up, players are susceptible to tearing a hamstring if they push themselves to run as fast as possible. Other injuries to the upper leg involve the thigh and quadriceps. Depending on the severity, an upper leg injury can take six to eight weeks to heal.
What can be done to avoid these common injuries:
Preparation: many injuries can be avoided if an athlete properly maintains fitness, stretches well, and hydrates.
Prevention: making sure the playing area is kept in ideal condition, there are no hazards, and players agree to adhere to safety rules. The Ivy League, for example, doesn’t allow tackles in practices.
Protection: Athletes from youth to professional need to maintain proper equipment and bodily protection: pads, helmets, and such.
Preparation: many injuries can be avoided if an athlete properly maintains fitness, stretches well, and hydrates.
Prevention: making sure the playing area is kept in ideal condition, there are no hazards, and players agree to adhere to safety rules. The Ivy League, for example, doesn’t allow tackles in practices.
Protection: Athletes from youth to professional need to maintain proper equipment and bodily protection: pads, helmets, and such.
When you KNOW it’s time to see the doctor with these injuries:
Concussions should always be treated by a medical professional. Otherwise, you know your body and you also know what “normal” sounds your body makes. If your body is making “not normal” noises for a couple of days, you may want to consult a doctor. Swelling of the knee or shoulders, or if they are locking or giving out on you, should be looked at after a couple of days.
Re-injury is a common reason for missing time on the field. Make sure you speak to your provider before returning to play.