A new study published in Spine examines the risk of injury for NCAA athletes.
Study authors examined 11,510 neck and cervical spine injuries that occurred among NCAA athletes during a five-year period, that were logged in the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program database. Study authors found:
1. The rate of neck and cervical injuries occurred at 7.05 injuries per 100,000 athletes who participated in NCAA practices or competitions.
2. The rate of injury in men was 2.66 per 100,000 athletes, compared to a rate of 1.95 injuries per 100,000 athletes in women.
3. When the sports were comparable between both men and women, the men were 1.26 times more likely to report cervical or neck injuries.
4. The sports with the highest injury rates were men's football, where men reported 29.09 injuries per 100,000 athletes, and women's field hockey, where women reported 11.51 injuries per 100,000 athletes.
5. The injuries were nearly four times more likely to occur during a game or competition than when the athlete was in practice.
6. Most of the athletes returned to play within 24 hours.