Start, Middle Or End

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine injury rates of sports-related concussions (SRC) during the start, middle and end of practice and competitions among high school male and female athletes in the state of Michigan. METHODS: This was a descriptive epidemiological study using the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MSHAA) Head Injury Reporting System. A total of 284,227 (165,418 males, 118,809 females) student-athletes (years in high school=2.32+1.1) participating in MSHAA sponsored athletic activities (i.e., football, soccer, basketball) during the 2015-2016 academic year. Certified athletic trainers, school athletic administrators, and coaches from MSHAA high schools reported head injury data and overall participation for the 2015-2016 academic year. Using the MSHAA Head Injury Reporting System, athlete exposures (AE), total SRCs and time (i.e., start, middle, end) when a SRC occurred were reported for each concussive injury. An injury rate (IR) was calculated by dividing the number of SRCs in a particular category by the number of participants in that category. IRs were presented with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: A total of 4,452 SRCs were reported for all sports. Male athletes had a greater risk for an SRC during the middle of practices and competitions (IR=10.21/1,000 AEs, 95% CI: 9.5-10.5), followed by the end of practices and competitions (IR=6.63/1,000 AE, CI: 6.2-7.0) and start of practices and competitions (IR=1.92/1,000 AE, CI: 1.7-2.1). Females also had a greater risk for SRCs during the middle of practices and competitions (IR=6.50/1,000 AE, 95% CI: 6.0-7.0), followed by the end of practices and competitions (IR=4.35/1,000 AE, CI: 4.0-4.7) and start of practices and competitions (IR=1.68/1,000 AE, CI: 1.4-1.9). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of SRCs occur during the middle of practices and competitions compared to the end and start of practices and competitions. Future research should concentrate on ways to prevent SRCs during the middle of events.