Summary

During the 10-year period, NCAA football players suffered higher rates of hip injuries in competition compared with practice, and pre-season compared to in-season or post-season.

Abstract

Introduction

Due to the nature of the sport, football players are at an increased risk of all types of hip injuries. They have been determined to account for 17.3% of NCAA football and 3.1% of NFL injuries, but previous research on specific incidence and risk factors has been limited to professional athletes. The purpose of this study was to analyze the NCAA Injury Surveillance System (NCAA ISS/ISP) men’s football hip injury database from 2004-2005 through 2013-2014 to determine the specific incidence, risk factors, and epidemiology of hip injuries in NCAA football players.

Methods

The NCAA ISS/ISP database was analyzed for the incidence and risk factors of hip injuries over the 10-year period between 2004-2005 and 2013-2014. Rates and distribution of injuries were analyzed by type, time loss, event type, time in season, recurrence, mechanism of injury, player position, game location of injury, and whether surgery was required. Injury rate ratios (IRR) were calculated to compare rates between event types and by time of season.

Results

A total of 1,618 hip injuries occurred during 3,121,380 athlete exposures (AE), resulting in an overall hip injury rate of 5.18 per 10,000 AEs. The majority of these injuries were non-surgical (98.33%) and resulted in time loss of 0-6 days (66.69%). Adductor strains (38.63%) were the most common, followed by hip flexor strains (28.55%) and hip contusions (18.23%). Players were 3.56 (95% CI, 3.19-3.98) times more likely to sustain a hip injury in competition compared to practice. They were 2.37 (95% CI, 2.15-2.62) and 3.56 (95% CI, 2.49-5.08) times more likely to sustain a hip injury during the pre-season than in-season or post-season, respectively.

Conclusion

During the 10-year period, NCAA football players suffered higher rates of hip injuries in competition compared with practice, and pre-season compared to in-season or post-season. The majority were non-contact injuries and resulted in time loss of less than 6 days without the need for surgery. The injuries varied with player position and were most common in defensive backs. Muscle strains were the most common group of hip injuries, while the most common specific types of hip injuries were adductor strains, hip flexor strains, and hip contusions.