The NICA injury surveillance system: results from five years of student-athlete injury data

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association Injury Surveillance System was implemented in 2018 to characterize acute traumatic injuries and identify associated risk factors in interscholastic youth cross-country mountain bike racing in the United States. Designated reporters collected data weekly during the 2018-2022 seasons. Variables collected included demographic information, injury characteristics, and other associated factors. In 119,098 student-athlete years, there were 2,655 injury events (injury event proportion = 2.23%). The wrist/hand was the most common body part injured (23.2%), followed by head/brain (23.0%), and shoulder/clavicle (15.9%). Males experienced a higher proportion of upper limb injuries than females (57.6% and 49.6%, respectively; p < 0.001); females experienced a higher proportion of lower limb injuries than males (29.5% and 24.8%, respectively; p = 0.020). Injury event proportion decreased by 27% (p < 0.001) during the study period. Acute traumatic injuries are common but injury proportion is low. Most injuries are minor but serious injuries do occur, resulting in time-loss from riding.