Report: Number of head and neck-related sports injuries on the rise

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The number of overall sports-related injuries is decreasing, according to a study presented at an annual meeting of orthopedic surgeons. However, the number of head and neck injuries is on the rise.

Almost 8 million high school students are involved in sports each year, with 57% of students playing at least one.

Peter Gray is an athletic trainer at Henry Clay and says they are constantly monitoring players before and after games and watching closely from the sidelines to look for any signs or symptoms of injury.

Gray says a broken bone would be more obvious than that of a concussion.

“Head and neck injuries make up an abundance of injuries that we see,” said Gray. “Soccer injuries and football injuries that we see a lot of, for sure.”

Some experts worry if the new safety equipment and injury prevention guidelines are being applied correctly.

Data released shows football and girls’ soccer are the two sports with the highest injury rates.

Gray says while helmets are helpful, they are not foolproof.

“Helmets themselves are not going to prevent a concussion in of itself. It’s kind of there to prevent the bigger head injuries,” Gray said. “It may be extreme, but a skull fracture or things like that.”

Studies show the head and face are the most commonly injured body site, followed by the ankle and knee.

Research indicates more injuries occur during competition than during practice.

“Sometimes it’s going to just happen. Sometimes in a contact sport, you two can just collide, and you might have contact with the turf, the grass, another player. We do want to push to reduce the number of unnecessary contacts,” said Gray.

The data also shows that the injuries reported are becoming more severe, and many more are requiring surgery.

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