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Rise in lower extremity injuries possible result of new concussion prevention rules

Date:
March 5, 2016
Source:
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Summary:
NCAA tackling rule changes that penalize head to head contact, and encourage tackling of the lower extremity have had some proven impacts in collegiate football. However, according to researchers an unintended consequence of these rule changes may be higher rates of knee, ankle and thigh injuries.
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NCAA tackling rule changes that penalize head to head contact, and encourage tackling of the lower extremity have had some proven impacts in collegiate football. However, according to researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day, an unintended consequence of these rule changes may be higher rates of knee, ankle and thigh injuries.

"Nearly a third of all concussions in collegiate athletics occur during football. With the relatively recent rule changes, concussion rates have not decreased. Our analysis of the NCAA Injury Surveillance Database though noted increased rates of ankle and knee injuries, which may result in osteoarthritis and disability issues later in life for these athletes," said lead author, Robert Westermann, MD from the University of Iowa. "Athletes may be making contact lower on the body, to avoid the head-to-head contact and thus stiffer game penalties."

Westermann and his team looked at the NCAA Injury Surveillance Database for 57 programs and compared injury rate ratios between 2009/10-2011/12 and after new rules to reduce head to head tacking between the 2012/13-2014/15 seasons. Lower extremity injuries (i.e. hip/groin, upper leg/thigh, knee, lower leg/Achilles, foot/toes) and sports-related concussions were examined. The data for the surveillance system is collected through program athletic trainers and physicians.

Overall, 2,400 lower extremity injuries were reported during those time periods, with the most occurring to the knee (33.6%) and ankle (28.6%). Fifty-nine percent of the injuries were due to player contact. Non-contact/overuse injuries did not increase during the time studied.

"Our research is the first to report trends in injury patterns since "targeting" rule changes took effect. Continued surveillance to examine these trends, and a more in-depth examination of how targeting rule changes are impacting injuries both at the targeted site and at other parts of the body needs to be performed to prevent long-term health issues," said Westermann.


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Materials provided by American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


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American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. "Rise in lower extremity injuries possible result of new concussion prevention rules." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 March 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160305111838.htm>.
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. (2016, March 5). Rise in lower extremity injuries possible result of new concussion prevention rules. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 14, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160305111838.htm
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. "Rise in lower extremity injuries possible result of new concussion prevention rules." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160305111838.htm (accessed November 14, 2024).

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