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Sean D. Turbeville, PhD et al ABSTRACT It is estimated that approximately
1.1 million young men play football in this country at the high school
level, with injury numbers ranging around 350,000 per year. Various studies have been performed on injury rates and risks
for high school players, but not for middle school players.
This study followed 646 players in
grades 6-8, age range 10-15 through two years of middle school football.
In the first year, coaches and players were the ones providing the
information regarding injury. However, due to some coaches feeling that the study was going
to be critical of their coaching, the following year had athletic trainers
collating the information. The
school district involved was from Oklahoma City, OK.
Interviews with the athletes
collected information such as how many injuries they had in the past year
(an injury was defined as an incident that caused them to miss at least
one game), and what kind of pre-season and off-season training they
performed, and if there were any special equipment needed, such as knee or
ankle braces. Physical
measurements such as height, weight, grip strength, and body mass index
were collected. The type of
field they played on, the experience of their coaches, and the positions
played were recorded. Of the 646 players who participated
in the study over the 2 years, only 45 (7%) were present for both years.
This may indicate that at this age, young males are checking out
the sport for the first time, and many may not return for the following
year. The physical data
showed that there was more than 250 lbs difference between the heaviest
and lightest player, along with a height difference of nearly 2 feet
between the shortest and the tallest players.
72, or 11% of the players wore some type of special equipment, and
84% reported that they participated in some sort of pre-season
conditioning, which usually consisted of upper body weight lifting.
The game injury rate was 8.84
injuries per 1000 athletic exposures, and the practice injury rate was
only 0.97 per 1000. A
significant major8ity of the injuries occurred in the month of September. There were a total of 64 injuries in 54 players over the
course of the two seasons, and the upper extremity rate was 61% versus
only 39% for the lower extremity. The
majority of the upper extremity injuries occurred to the wrist, hand and
arm. The fingers, wrist and
upper arm had more fractures than the ankle or lower leg.
44% of the lower extremity injuries were to the knee and ankle, and
contact injuries accounted for 70% of those seen, and of all the
noncontact injuries, 47% occurred during running.
Players in middle school football
tend to play many different positions, which may account for different
injury rates. 52% of the
injuries occurred while playing offense, 36% on defense, and 13% on
special teams. Running backs
suffered the most injuries, followed by linebackers and then offensive
linemen. Of all the data collected in this
study, only the experience of the athlete participating was predictor of
injury. In other words, those
who played more often and had more experience suffered the greatest rate
of injury. There was a slight
trend towards lower injury rates with coaches having more experience, and
one season where the weather was very dry and the dirt very hard; there
were greater numbers of injuries from falls.
Coaching skills that teach the players how to fall may reduce the
rates of upper extremity injuries from falls on outstretched hands.
It was interesting to note that the average age of those in this
study who sustained a fracture was 13.8 years, which is the age when the
velocity of bone growth is at its greatest.
COMMENTS The information may come in handy
when dealing with parents and coaches for middle school football players.
It appears that one of the greatest risks of injury is the actual
experience of the player, which makes prevention a little more difficult.
There were no significant differences for height, weight, hand
strength, or body mass index. There
may be a trend towards coaching experience, so one may suggest that proper
falling and tackling techniques are addressed.
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