Craniofacial Injuries Related to Racquet Sports: A NEISS Database Query

Racquet sports require speed, agility, and hand-eye coordination, offering a variety of experiences to players of all ages across the globe. Several aspects of these games, such as ball velocities over 100 miles per hour in tennis and risk of collision in close quarters, pose dangerous conditions that predispose to craniofacial injury. Currently, there is limited evidence characterizing craniofacial injuries due to racquet sports. This study aims to address this gap using epidemiological data to better understand the presence and severity of injuries to inform safety guidelines for these sports.

This study utilizes the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System Database (NEISS) to follow a 10-year retrospective cohort design, analyzing craniofacial injury data resulting from racquet sports participation. Demographic variables such as age, ethnicity, and sex were then used to conduct comparative analyses to discern patterns across different racquet sports.

Within the established time from 2014 to 2023, an estimated 55,940 craniofacial injuries due to racquet sports resulted in visits to US emergency departments. Males constituted the majority of patients in this analysis, representing 62.6% of the analysed population. The age distribution of injuries was bimodal, with the highest proportion of injuries occurring in 10-to-14-year-olds (18.2%). Head injuries represented the most prevalent anatomic location of injury (41.9%). The most prevalent diagnosis seen was lacerations (28.2%). Of all patients treated for lacerations, 75.8% were male, making it the most common injury type among male patients (33.8%). Females were more likely to sustain contusions/abrasions (29.0%) or internal injury (29.1%).

This study emphasizes the burden of craniofacial injuries due to racquet sports and highlights the need for targeted injury reduction techniques. Findings of this analysis revealed a bimodal age distribution, sex-based disparities of injury patterns, and variations of injury rates across different racquet sports. Despite existing safety guidelines, this study has elucidated the persistence of craniofacial injuries, suggesting the need for increased compliance with guidelines and advancements in equipment design. There is an evident need for more data on sport-specific injuries to guide and develop more effective injury prevention strategies.