United States Sports Academy
America's Sports University®
The Sport Digest - ISSN: 1558-6448
volume 18 number 1
ISSN: 1558-6448
- Did You Know?
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- 65.2% of all catastrophic injuries sustained by high school female athletes are cheerleaders.
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NCCSIR, The National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research 26th Annual Report
www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi
- Serious injuries in gymnastics rival those in ice hockey?
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Lara McKenzie, PhD at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Sports_50/Number_of_Serious_Injuries_in_Gymnastics_Rival_Those_in_Ice_Hockey.shtml
- Coaches and parents are hurting young athletes?
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Kate Stinchfield, TIME, Heath Section. Little Athletes, Big Injuries. February 25, 2008. Pg 51.
- Few than 1% of cheerleaders have received a copy of their team emergency plan and rehearsed it.
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NCSF, National Cheer Safety Foundation
www.cheerinjuryreport.com
- 60% of cheerleading injuries occur from gymnastic stunts/acrobatics.
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NATA – National Athletic Trainers’ Association Journal of Athletic Training
www.nata.org
- Only 33 states in the United States require youth sport coaches to have CPR, First Aid and AED training.
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NCSF, National Cheer Safety Foundation
www.cheerinjuryreport.com
- Cheerleading is the leading cause of catastrophic head injuries in high school and college female athletes.
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NCCSIR, The National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research 26th Annual Report
www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi
- Less than 6% of varsity high school athletes will play for intercollegiate teams.
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NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association
www.ncaa.org
- Participation in organized youth sports in the US peaks at age 11.
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SGMA, Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
www.sgma.com
- Girls are actually five times more at risk of tearing their ACL than boys while playing sports.
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Dr. Martha Murray, Orthopedic Surgeon for Children’s Hospital Boston.
http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2007/02/12/focus4-Surgeon-makes-gel-gun-to-heal-female-athletes-injuries.html
- 3.8 million sport related concussions sustained each year in the US.
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CDC, Center for Disease Control, Heads Up Program.
http://sportsinjuries.suite101.com/article.cfm/concussions_in_youth_sports
- Girls are getting concussions in sports more than boys?
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US high school girl soccer players suffered 29,167 concussions in 2005-06. That is 8,238 more than US high school boy soccer players at 20,929.
Sean Gregory, Head Games. LIFE Magazine. 2007
- The number of overuse sports injuries in children is increasing?
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Researchers say due to the increase in sports participation, increase in year round play and multi-sports along with parents putting a tremendous amount of pressure on young athletes to compete is the main reason these injuries are on a rise. The young athletes do not get a chance to rest. The underlying cause is lack of regulation protocol.
Kin Dixon, REUTERS, Overuse sports injuries widespread in kids: doctors. Yahoo New, February 15, 2007
- Helpful Hints
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- Choosing Sports Protective Eyewear
There are 38,000 sports-related eye injuries in the United States each year that require a trip to the emergency room. 90% of these injuries are preventable. Making sports protective eyewear a part of athletic uniforms can significantly reduce the potential of eye injuries. Protective eyewear must be made of the proper materials and fitted correctly. Here’s what to look for when choosing protective eyewear.
- Padded or rubber bridges to keep the goggles comfortable.
- Deep-grooved eyewear to keep the lenses from popping out of the frames.
- A face-formed shape to provide a wider field of view.
- Headband attachments to keep the frames from slipping.
- Lenses made from polycarbonate, a type of clear plastic that is impact resistant.
- 100% ultraviolet (UV) protection and scratch-resistant coating.
Vision Council of America & National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), Check Yearly, See Clearly. Sports Protective Eyewear Fact Sheet and Safety Kit. August 2007.
- Coaches Must Keep Their Athletes S.A.F.E.
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Coaches have the responsibility to keep their athletes safe while their athletes are participating within their given sport or activity; whether it is during practice or competition. Performing this responsibility should be done in a systematic manner to ensure that the coach does not forget any detail. The following Safety Tip can help keep this responsibility in check:
- S = Supervision and proper instruction must be present at all times.
- A = Aid and appropriate planning & response to emergencies must be present at all times.
- F = Facilities must be maintained and checked daily for possible hazards.
- E = Equipment must be maintained and checked daily for possible hazards.
Clover, Jim. Sports Medicine Essentials. 2nd Edition. Thomson / Delmar Learning (2007). Chapter 4: Ethical and Legal Considerations, Pg. 68
- Help Prevent Heat-Related Illnesses
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Heat-related illnesses are very preventable. The key is balancing major factors that influence body temperature. All factors below need to be addressed:
- Require all athletes to have a pre-participation physical
- Monitor and identify athletes who are prone: previous heat illness, overweight, heavy muscled, deconditioned
- Monitor weather conditions and adjust practice
- Acclimate athletes to exercise in the heat
- Switch to light clothing and less equipment
- Strictly enforce adequate hydration
- Replenish electrolytes lost through sweat
- Keep your athletes fit and know their physical limitations
- Prohibit use of sweatboxes, vinyl suits, diuretics, or other articicial means of quick weight loss
Flegel, Melinda J. Sport First Aid. 4th Edition. Human Kinetics (2008). Chapter 11: WeatherRelated Problems, Pg.137-139
- Lightning Safety Tips
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Note: ** Most lightning-related injuries occur between May and September, and nearly 80% occur between 10AM – 7PM.
- Check the forecast.
- Use the 30/30 Lightning Rule & “Flash-to-Bang” Principle. Because light travels faster than sound; and sound also travels about 1mile per 5seconds. It is recommended that you seek shelter if the time from a lightning flash to rumble of thunder is less than 30seconds (6miles). Once in shelter, stay there for 30 minutes.
- Find safe shelter. A sturdy building.
- Avoid isolated trees or tall objects.
- Don’t wait for the rain to seek shelter.
- Avoid metal objects.
- Never lie flat on the ground.
- As a last resort, assume the lightning-safe position. If you feel your hair stand on end, skin tingling and hear crackling noises --- crouch to the ground feet together head lowered in your hands with elbows touching knees. This can create a path for the lightning to the least resistance thru your extremities.
Quinn, Elizabeth. About.com, Your Guide to Sports Medicine. Getting Started and Sticking with Exercise. July 11, 2007.
- Close all
Book Review: Successful Sport Management
Appenzeller, H. & Appenzeller, T. (2008). Successful Sport Management. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press
Academy to Provide Support to National Cheer Safety Foundation
Reports that 65.2 percent of all catastrophic injuries to female athletes occur in high school cheerleading have led to efforts from the United States Sports Academy and the National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF) to educate cheer coaches.
“Cheer safety education based on sports sciences is crucial in reducing catastrophic and over-use injuries in cheerleading,” said NCSF President and CEO Kimberly Archie. “Those involved need to insist that coaches are educated and trained to properly care for young athletes.”
Cheerleading Injuries and Safety
Journal of Athletic Training November – December 2009 – Editorial (Reprinted with Permission from National Athletic Trainers’ Association, Inc.)
The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (NCCSIR) initiated a catastrophic injury (fatalities, disabilities, serious injuries) data collection system for high school and collegiate sports on a national level during the 1982–1983 school year.1 Cheerleading was not initially included until 2 collegiate cheerleaders suffered serious head injuries during the first year of data collection. Since that time, collegiate cheerleading has been associated with 31 catastrophic injuries and high school cheerleading with 73. Collegiate cheerleading accounted for 70.5% of all female catastrophic sports injuries and high school cheerleading for 65.2% of all high school female catastrophic sports injuries. Without a doubt, cheerleading is the most dangerous female sport when we look at the number of catastrophic injuries.
The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research
Due to the success of football injury research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (NCCSIR) was initiated during the 1982-83 school year. As a result of the football research important contributions to the game have been made and include the 1976 rule changes, the football helmet standard, improved medical care for the participants, and better coaching techniques.
Exercising to Exhaustion in Heated Ozone is a Formula For the Death of an Athlete
"Body Organs Bake & Athletes Die"
A Louisville high school football Athlete collapsed during practice on August 20, 2008. He died 3 days later in the hospital. In the Emergency Department his body temperature was 107* after IV fluids and traveling 40 minutes in an air-conditioned ambulance. Obviously, his core body temperature exceeded 107* when he collapsed on the practice field. 109* is fatal absent proper cooling. A kiddy iced pool appears the appropriate, rapid cooling method.
Sport Emergency Action Plan: A Coach’s Duty
It is a coach’s legal and moral responsibility to plan in advance for catastrophic emergencies. A rehearsed catastrophic emergency plan is a crucial part of managing risk in sport. After the review of more than 200 catastrophic cheer injury reports between 1982 and 2009, one pattern stood out like a sore thumb: Cheer programs lacked a rehearsed catastrophic emergency plan. A review of other youth sports revealed a similar pattern.
Catastrophic Cheerleading Injuries Prompts USSA & NCSF Into Action
Reports that 65.2 percent of all catastrophic injuries to female athletes occur in high school cheerleading have led to efforts from the United States Sports Academy and the National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF) to educate cheer coaches.
Sport Education is the Key to Managing Catastrophic Sports Injuries
Introduction
Physical activity and sport by their very nature include inherent risks leading to injuries for many individuals who participate (1).
Most sports injuries encountered by young athletes are minor in nature, but when an injury is extensive enough to be categorized as catastrophic it can be devastating to those involved.
NFL Issues Stricter Guidelines for Returning to Play Following Concussion
The treatment of football players with concussions has put the NFL in the spotlight in recent months, including two congressional hearings with testimony by former players and coaches, and the launch of an NFL public service campaign on the subject.