A Comparison of Game and Practice Injuries in High School Football

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Injury Epidemiology
• Athletic Training

Background:

• High school football is a popular sport with a significant risk of player injury.
• Understanding injury patterns during games versus practices is crucial for developing targeted prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the types and locations of injuries sustained during football games versus practices.
• To identify differences in injury risk based on game versus practice exposure time.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 1,877 high school football injury cases.
• Categorization of injuries by type (contusions, strains) and body location.
• Comparison of injury incidence between game and practice settings.

Main Results:

• Football games are more dangerous per unit of exposure time than practices.
• Contusions, particularly to the trunk, were more frequent during games.
• Strains occurred more often during practice sessions.
• Quarterbacks experienced more neck, shoulder, chest, and foot injuries in games.
• Linebackers sustained more ankle injuries during games, while wide receivers had more ankle injuries during practice.

Conclusions:

• Game situations present a higher risk of acute injuries like contusions in high school football.
• Practice environments may contribute more to strain injuries.
• Positional differences in injury patterns exist between game and practice scenarios, highlighting the need for position-specific injury prevention.