Injuries In Youth Football Research Articles

“When Fathers Beam and Mothers Wince”

Abstract Since the late nineteenth century, the figure of the “worried mother” has featured prominently in popular debates about American football's risks and benefits. This article analyzes portrayals of mothers’ concerns about concussions and other youth football injuries in newspapers, journals, and sports magazines. Mothers occasionally penned opinion columns or were quoted in news stories, but most commonly, the “worried mother” was depicted by male sportswriters, physicians, and coaches writing about football safety. The “worried mother” posed an existential threat to youth football should she prohibit her son from participating or insist on a wholesale transformation of the rules; she thus needed to be reassured by coaches and league administrators. From nineteenth-century appeals to the “gentler sex” to the early twenty-first-century “moms’ clinics” sponsored by the National Football League, narratives surrounding “worried mothers” profoundly shaped popular perceptions of youth football's risks.

Application of FIFA 11+ Kids: Method to minimize sports injuries in youth football

Football is one of the sports with the highest risk of injury, with injuries to children around 3% per year with serious injuries occurring at only 0.69% per year. The objective of the study is to investigate the application of FIFA 11+ Kids in minimizing sports injuries in youth football through enhancement components of physical condition, namely, leg muscle power and muscle flexibility. This study is an quasi-experimental research by using a pre-test - post-test control group design. The sample in this study are 20 people, divided into control and treatment groups. In this study, the sample is determined using a purposive sampling technique, with the following inclusion criteria: 1) male, 2) 11-12 years old, 3) practicing football regularly, 3) willing to be a research sample. In contrast, the criteria exclusion is experienced injured and unwilling to be a research sample. The distribution of control and treatment groups using matching subject ABBA technique. Instruments used in this research are the standing broad jump test to measure leg muscle power and sit and reach test to measure muscle flexibility. The data analysis is a t-test regression analysis with a level of 5% significance. This study found that the application of FIFA 11+ Kids can be used as a method to minimize sports injuries in youth football. The limitation of this study is that the sample is limited to only 20 children. This research is important because it contributes to the science of football coaching in terms of preventing injuries to children. Future research is expected to thoroughly examine the components of other physical conditions related to injury prevention, and use a larger sample from various age groups of soccer school students.

Injuries in youth football and the relationship to player maturation: An analysis of time-loss injuries during four seasons in an English elite male football academy.

A better insight into injuries in elite-youth football may inform prevention strategies. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the frequency, incidence, and pattern of time-loss injuries in an elite male football academy, exploring injuries in relation to age and maturation status. Across four consecutive playing seasons, playing exposure and injuries to all academy players (U'9 to U'21) were recorded by club medical staff. Maturation status at the time of injury was also calculated for players competing in U'13 to U'16 aged squads. Time-loss injury occurrence and maturation status at time of injury were the main outcome measures. A total of 603 time-loss injuries were recorded, from 190 different players. Playing exposure was 229317hours resulting in an overall injury rate of 2.4 p/1000h, ranging from 0.7 p/1000h (U'11) to 4.8 p/1000h (U'21). Most injuries were traumatic in mechanism (73%). The most common injury location was the thigh (23%), and the most common injury type was muscle injury (29%) combining to provide the most common injury diagnosis; thigh muscle injury (17%). In U'13-U'16 players, a higher number of injuries to early-maturing players were observed in U'13-U'14 players, while more injuries to U'15-U'16 players occurred when classed as "on-time" in maturity status. Maturation status did not statistically relate to injury pattern; however, knee bone (not-fracture) injuries peaked in U'13 players while hip/groin muscle injuries peaked in U'15 players.

Injury Incidence, Prevalence and Severity in High-Level Male Youth Football: A Systematic Review.

At a young age, high-level youth footballers enter structured practice where they engage in regular training and matches. The academy system is considered fundamental to a young footballer's tactical, technical and physical development. Yet, with regular training and matches, high-level youth footballers may be exposed to the risk of injury. This systematic review analyses and summarises published scientific information on high-level youth football injury characteristics and calculates the risk of them sustaining an injury over the course of a typical season. The search was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Of the 1346 studies found, 23 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Quality assurance scores for the selected research articles ranged between two and five out of eight. A high degree of heterogeneity between studies was observed. The probability of sustaining a time-loss injury during a high-level youth season ranged between < 1% and 96% for under 9- to under 16-year age groups and 50% and 91% for under 18- to under 21-year age groups. Pooled estimates for total (training and match) incidence per 1000h was 5.8 for youth players aged under 9 to under 21years, 7.9 for older players (under 17-under 21years) and 3.7 for younger aged players (under 9-under 16years). Training injury incidence rate ranged from 0.69 to 7.9 per 1000h for all age groups in youth football. Match injury incidence rate for high-level youth players ranged from 0.4 to 80.0 per 1000h. Close to one-fifth (18%) of all high-level youth football injuries were classified as severe and required > 28days recovery time. Muscle strain injury accounted for 37% of all injuries reported in youth football. High probabilities (> 90%) of sustaining a time-loss injury over one typical high-level football season were found. High-level youth players lose large portions of the seasonal development to injury, with players seemingly suffering long absences from training and matches, consequently affecting health and well-being and possibly burdening club/parental finances and healthcare systems.

Overuse injuries are prevalent in children’s competitive football: a prospective study using the OSTRC Overuse Injury Questionnaire

ObjectivesTo investigate the prevalence and burden of overuse injuries in children’s football as well as player characteristics and their association with overuse injury risk.MethodsThis investigation is based on the control...

Outcome of muscle injuries in youth football

Background: Muscle injuries are the most common injury in soccer and account for almost 30 percent of all time-loss injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the muscle length as a risk factor to sustain a muscle injury and to grade and monitore muscle injuries during the rehabilitation. Methods: 110 young male football players of 5 soccer teams (U15, U16, U17, U18 and U21) with (age 16,8 (14,3–21) years, height 174,5 (146,1–190,0) cm, weight 65,7 (35,5–84,6) kg) were monitored for 12 months in a prospective cohort study. Initially, muscle length in all players were measured. Every muscle injury was documented and monitored in a standardized protocol and graded clinically based on the Muscle-­Injury-Score. Results: 53 muscle injuries accounted for a total of 949 missed trainings and 179 missed matches, averaging in missing 18 trainings and 3,4 matches per injury. In 191 trainings (88,4%) and in 36 matches (81,9%) one player per team was missing because of a muscle injury. Injuries of the rectus femoris muscle were leading to the longest time-loss (39,3 days). There was no statistical significance in muscle length between the injured and the not injured players. The Muscle-Injury-Score correlated clinically relevant and statistically significant with the severity of the injury (r2=0,54, p&lt;0,001). Per point in the Muscle-Injury Score, the rehabilitation of a muscle injury took 5,8 days. Conclusion: Also in young football players, muscle injuries are responsible for long time-losses. In this study, muscle length was not a risk factor for muscle injuries. The muscle-injury score allowed grading of muscle injuries and prediction of the time-loss.

Youth Football Injuries: A Prospective Cohort.

Background:There are approximately 2.8 million youth football players between the ages of 7 and 14 years in the United States. Rates of injury in this population are poorly described. Recent studies have reported injury rates between 2.3% and 30.4% per season and between 8.5 and 43 per 1000 exposures.Hypothesis:Youth flag football has a lower injury rate than youth tackle football. The concussion rates in flag football are lower than in tackle football.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Three large youth (grades 2-7) football leagues with a total of 3794 players were enrolled. Research personnel partnered with the leagues to provide electronic attendance and injury reporting systems. Researchers had access to deidentified player data and injury information. Injury rates for both the tackle and flag leagues were calculated and compared using Poisson regression with a log link. The probability an injury was severe and an injury resulted in a concussion were modeled using logistic regression. For these 2 responses, best subset model selection was performed, and the model with the minimum Akaike information criterion value was chosen as best. Kaplan-Meier curves were examined to compare time loss due to injury for various subgroups of the population. Finally, time loss was modeled using Cox proportional hazards regression models.Results:A total of 46,416 exposures and 128 injuries were reported. The mean age at injury was 10.64 years. The hazard ratio for tackle football (compared with flag football) was 0.45 (95% CI, 0.25-0.80; P = .0065). The rate of severe injuries per exposure for tackle football was 1.1 (95% CI, 0.33-3.4; P = .93) times that of the flag league. The rate for concussions in tackle football per exposure was 0.51 (95% CI, 0.16-1.7; P = .27) times that of the flag league.Conclusion:Injury is more likely to occur in youth flag football than in youth tackle football. Severe injuries and concussions were not significantly different between leagues. Concussion was more likely to occur during games than during practice. Players in the sixth or seventh grade were more likely to suffer a concussion than were younger players.

LOWER EXTREMITY INJURIES AMONG NIGERIAN MALE YOUTH FOOTBALL PLAYERS

BackgroundFootball (soccer) is the leading sport for participation among Nigerian youths. Studies on youth football injuries and their risk factors in Nigeria are lacking.ObjectiveTo assess the risk and pattern of...

Association between preseason functional tests and injuries in youth football: A prospective follow‐up

This prospective cohort study aimed at identifying player-related risk factors for injuries in youth football as determined by extensive preseasonal screening. All male U15-U19 players from a regional football school (season 2007-2008; n = 67) underwent preseason evaluations assessing physical fatigue, emotional stress and injury history (questionnaire), anthropometric variables, general joint laxity (Beighton score), lower limb coordination (functional hop tests), aerobic fitness (shuttle run test), strength of knee extensor and flexor muscles (isokinetic tests), static and dynamic balance (force plate tests), and explosive strength (jump tests on force plate). Football exposure and all football-related injuries (n = 163) were recorded during the entire subsequent season (44 weeks). Total injury incidence was 10.4 injuries/1000 h and was higher in competition than in training [relative risk = 3.3; CI(95%) (2.39; 4.54); P < 0.001]. Lower limb injuries were most frequent (87%). Acute contact injuries represented 37%, while intrinsic (noncontact and chronic) injuries amounted to 63%. Of all the variables tested, only physical fatigue was significantly associated with injury, as revealed by univariate and multivariate analyses. The same result was observed when considering only intrinsic injuries as outcome. A single preseason test session may be of limited interest in the framework of an injury prevention strategy.

„State of the Art“ des Jugendfootballs in Deutschland

This article shows the development of youth football in Germany. Trainings concepts of the different positions in order to their various demands are explained. The different skills needed to excel at a position require a variety of different body measures of these 15 to 19 year old boys. Specialized coaching forms one team out of a once unequal group of boys. Injuries in youth football depend on age, years of playing experience and position.

Compliance with a comprehensive warm-up programme to prevent injuries in youth football

BackgroundParticipants' compliance, attitudes and beliefs have the potential to influence the efficacy of an intervention greatly.ObjectiveTo characterise team and player compliance with a comprehensive injury prevention warm-up programme for football...

Injuries in Youth Football: National Emergency Department Visits during 2001-2005 for Young and Adolescent Players

Limited research exists describing youth football injuries, and many of these are confined to specific regions or communities. The authors describe U.S. pediatric football injury patterns receiving emergency department (ED) evaluation and compare injury patterns between the younger and older youth football participants. A retrospective analysis of ED data on football injuries was performed using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program. Injury risk estimates were calculated over a 5-year period (2001-2005) using participation data from the National Sporting Goods Association. Injury types are described for young (7-11 years) and adolescent (12-17 years) male football participants. There were an estimated total of 1,060,823 visits to U.S. EDs for males with football-related injuries. The most common diagnoses in the younger group (7-11 years) were fracture/dislocation (29%), sprain/strain (27%), and contusion (27%). In the older group (ages 12-17 years), diagnoses included sprain/strain (31%), fracture/dislocation (29%), and contusion (23%). Older participants had a significantly higher injury risk of injury over the 5-year study period: 11.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.2 to 12.8) versus 6.1 (95% CI = 4.8 to 7.3) per 1,000 participants/year. Older participants had a higher injury risk across all categories, with the greatest disparity being with traumatic brain injury (TBI), 0.8 (95% CI = 0.6 to 1.0) versus 0.3 (95% CI = 0.2 to 0.4) per 1,000 participants/year. National youth football injury patterns are similar to those previously reported in community and cohort studies. Older participants have a significantly higher injury risk, especially with TBI.

Incidence and Player Risk Factors for Injury in Youth Football

To estimate the incidence of injuries in youth football and to assess the relationship between player-related risk factors (age, body size, biological maturity status) and the occurrence of injury in youth football. Prospective over two seasons. Two communities in central Michigan. Subjects were 678 youth, 9-14 years of age, who were members of 33 youth football teams in two central Michigan communities in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Certified athletic trainers (ATCs) were on site to record the number of players at all practices and home games (exposures) and injuries as they occurred. A reportable injury (RI) was defined by the criteria used in the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) survey of several high school sports. Estimated injury rates (95% confidence intervals) per athlete exposures (AE) and per number of athletes were calculated for practices and games by grade. Player risk factors included age, height, weight, BMI and estimated maturity status. Estimated injury rates and relative risks of injury during practices and games by grade; logistic regression to evaluate relationships between player-related risk factors and risk of injury. A total of 259 RIs, 178 in practice and 81 in games, were recorded during the two seasons. Practice injury rates increased with grade level, while game injury rates were similar among fourth through fifth grade and sixth grade players and about twice as high among seventh and eighth grade players. The majority of RIs during the two seasons was minor (64%); the remainder was moderate (18%) and major (13%). Injured fourth through fifth grade players were significantly lighter in weight and had a lower BMI; otherwise, injured and non-injured players within each grade did not differ in age, body size and estimated biological maturity status. Logistic regressions within grade revealed no significant associations between injury and age, height, BMI, and maturity status. Game injury rates are higher than practice injury rates, and the incidence of injury tends to increase with grade level. Age, height, BMI and maturity status were not related to the risk of injury in youth football players.

Injuries in Youth Football

PURPOSE: To compare injury rates, body size and maturity between youth football participants in two community youth football programs. METHODS: Participants (n=715, 9–14 years) in two community youth football leagues were followed through two consecutive seasons, mid-August through October. The sample population in town “A” was 426 and 289 in town “B”. Grade in school was the unit of competition. Height (n=301) and weight (n=308) were measured at the beginning of each season; the BMI was calculated (n=298). Current height was expressed as a percentage of predicted mature height (n=281) to provide an estimate of biological maturity status. A certified athletic trainer was on site for all practices and home games to record exposure statistics and injuries as they occurred; injuries occurring in road games were reported by coaches and verified the next day by the trainers. Case rates (number of total injuries/study population), player rates (number of injured players/study population) and exposure rates were calculated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in height, body mass index and estimated maturity status between participants in the two communities. However, the 6th grade players in community “B” were heavier than the 6th grade players in community “A” (p = .036). There were no significant differences in case rates and player rates between communities for corresponding grades. There was a significant difference of major injuries on the 7th grade teams between the two communities (p = .013). The 7th grade team in community “B” sustained 12 major injuries (7 of which were fractures) while the 7th grade team in community “A” sustained only 1 major injury. CONCLUSIONS: Players in each community were similar in size and estimated maturity status and injury rates were also similar. Besides the weight of the 6th grade players in each community and the severity of injuries with the 7th graders, there were no differences.

Injuries In Youth Football

Injuries In Youth Football

Injuries In Youth Football

Injuries In Youth Football

Injuries in Youth Football

1885 PURPOSE: To estimate injury rates and variation in injury by grade, severity, type and position in a youth football population. Surveys of youth participants generally lack suitable exposure data for practices and competitions to permit estimates of injury rates. METHODS: Participants (n = 354, 9–14 years) in two community youth football leagues in mid-Michigan were followed throughout a single season, mid-August through October. Grade in school was the unit of competition. A certified athletic trainer was on sight for practices and home games to record exposure statistics and injuries as they occurred; injuries occurring in road games were reported by coaches and verified the next day by the trainers. The sample was split into younger (4–6th grades) and older (7–8th grades) groups for analysis. RESULTS: Estimated injury rates were significantly higher in 7–8th (16.2/1000 athlete exposures) compared to 4–6th (7.5/1000 athlete exposures) grades (p<0.001). Among 7–8th grade players, defensive linemen and defensive backs had a significantly higher frequency of injuries compared to respective positions in the 4th-6th grade players (p = .014). There were no significant differences in injuries by severity and type and in severity by position between the 4–6th and 7–8th grades. General trauma constituted 40% of all injuries (50% in 4–6th and 36% in 7–8th grades), and the majority of injuries were classified as minor (80% in 4–6th and 72% in 7–8th grades). CONCLUSIONS: Estimated injury rates increase with grade and probably age. Most injuries in youth football are minor and similarly distributed between grades. There are no clear trends in the distribution of injuries by type and in severity by position. Supported by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Foundation (Grant Number 300R001) and a Wohlgamuth Fellowship at Michigan State University.

Injuries in Youth Football

1885 PURPOSE: To estimate injury rates and variation in injury by grade, severity, type and position in a youth football population. Surveys of youth participants generally lack suitable exposure data for practices and competitions to permit estimates of injury rates. METHODS: Participants (n = 354, 9–14 years) in two community youth football leagues in mid-Michigan were followed throughout a single season, mid-August through October. Grade in school was the unit of competition. A certified athletic trainer was on sight for practices and home games to record exposure statistics and injuries as they occurred; injuries occurring in road games were reported by coaches and verified the next day by the trainers. The sample was split into younger (4–6th grades) and older (7–8th grades) groups for analysis. RESULTS: Estimated injury rates were significantly higher in 7–8th (16.2/1000 athlete exposures) compared to 4–6th (7.5/1000 athlete exposures) grades (p<0.001). Among 7–8th grade players, defensive linemen and defensive backs had a significantly higher frequency of injuries compared to respective positions in the 4th-6th grade players (p = .014). There were no significant differences in injuries by severity and type and in severity by position between the 4–6th and 7–8th grades. General trauma constituted 40% of all injuries (50% in 4–6th and 36% in 7–8th grades), and the majority of injuries were classified as minor (80% in 4–6th and 72% in 7–8th grades). CONCLUSIONS: Estimated injury rates increase with grade and probably age. Most injuries in youth football are minor and similarly distributed between grades. There are no clear trends in the distribution of injuries by type and in severity by position. Supported by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Foundation (Grant Number 300R001) and a Wohlgamuth Fellowship at Michigan State University.

Youth Football Injuries

A paucity of literature exists on the subject of youth football with the majority of research concentrating on athletes of high-school age or older. Youth football participants include those athletes who compete in organised football prior to high school. Injury rate and severity for youth players is surprisingly low when compared with those competitors who have passed through puberty. As children mature they become bigger, faster and stronger, which is accompanied by an increased injury risk. Quarterbacks and running backs are injured almost five times more often than offensive linemen and linebackers. The knee is the most common site of injury followed by the ankle, wrist and hand. Fortunately, traumatic brain and cervical spine injuries are exceedingly rare. In this article, we review the youth football literature, identify the most common injuries by anatomical location, discuss the differential diagnoses and outline treatment options.

Injuries in Youth Football: A Prospective Observational Cohort Analysis Among Players Aged 9 to 13 Years

To determine the risk of injury in youth football games. Nine hundred fifteen players aged 9 to 13 years on 42 teams participated, including 10 teams in each grade from grades 4 through 6 and 6 teams each in grades 7 and 8. The study was conducted in the fall of 1997. Injury incidence, prevalence, and severity were calculated for each grade level and player position. Additional analyses examined the number of injuries according to body weight. A total of 55 injuries occurred in games during the entire season (overall prevalence, 5.97%). Most injuries were mild, and the most common type was contusion, which occurred in 33 players (60%). Four injuries (7%) were severe enough to prevent players from participating for the rest of the season. All 4 severe injuries were fractures involving the ankle physis. The risk of injury increased as players matured in age and grade level. Injury risk for an eighth-grade player was 4 times greater than the risk of injury to a fourth-grade player. A trend was identified for heavier players to be at increased risk, but no significant correlation was evident between body weight and injury. Our prospective observational analysis showed that most youth football injuries are mild. Older and heavier players appear to be at higher risk.