Soft tissue facial injuries in sport (excluding the eye)

Facial injuries in sport have until recently received little publicity. Certainly, compared to other forms of injury, particularly orthopaedic, they seem neither to occur as frequently nor to have the same significance in relationship to complications, resulting in time off the sport, or long-term problems. Obtaining figures relating to the frequency of facial injuries in different sports is not easy because they are often trivial or considered so to be. Record-keeping by club staff can be erratic to say the least and many injuries do not reach hospitals. Increased interest in facial injuries is occurring as a result of a number of factors, including fears regarding transfer of blood-spread infections in contact sports and the increasing aggression occurring in some sports resulting in injuries to players, officials, and supporters during or even after the event. Possible reasons for this are discussed, as will be the implications.