Injuries Uncommon in Youth Football,

Mayo Clinic Study Reports

Courtesy of Mayo Clinic Proceedings

ROCHESTER, MINN. -- A Mayo Clinic study of youth football showed that most injuries that occurred were mild, older players appeared to be at a higher risk and that no significant correlation exists between body weight and injury.

The study, which appears in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that the data for athletes grades four through eight indicated that the risk of injury in youth football does not appear greater than the risk associated with other recreational or competitive sports.

"Our analysis showed that youth football injuries are uncommon," said Michael J. Stuart, M.D., a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon and the principal author of the study.

Dr. Stuart and his colleagues studied 915 players aged 9 to 13 years, who participated on 42 football teams in the fall of 1997. Injury incidence, prevalence and severity were calculated for each grade level and player position. Additional analyses examined the number of injuries according to body weight.

A game injury was defined as any football-related ailment that occurred on the field during a game that kept a player out of competition for the reminder of the game, required the attention of a physician, and included all concussion, lacerations, as well as dental, eye and nerve injuries. The researchers found a total of 55 injuries occurred in games during the season a prevalence of six percent. Incidence of injury expressed as injury per 1,000 player-plays was lowest in the fourth grade (.09 percent), increased for the fifth, sixth and seventh grades (.16 percent, .16 percent, .15 percent respectively) and was highest in the eighth grade (.33 percent). Most of the injuries were mild and the most common type was a contusion, which occurred in 33 players. Four injuries (fractures involving the ankle growth plate) were such that they prevented players from participating for the rest of the season. No player required hospitalization or surgery. The studys authors said risk increases with level of play (grade in school) and player age. Older players in the higher grades are more susceptible to football injuries. The risk of injury for an eighth-grade player was four times greater than the risk of injury for a fourth-grade player. Potential contributing factors include increased size, strength, speed and aggressiveness. Analysis of body weight indicated that lighter players were not at increased risk for injury, and in fact heavier players had a slightly higher prevalence of injury. This trend was not statistically significant. Running backs are at greater risk when compared with other football positions, the researchers reported.

Other authors who contributed to the study include: Michael A. Morrey, Ph.D., Aynsley M. Smith, RN, Ph.D., John K. Meis, M.S., all from the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and Cedric J. Ortiguera, M.D., a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon in Jacksonville, Fla.

Mayo Clinic Proceedings is a peer-reviewed and indexed general internal medicine journal, published for 75 years by Mayo Foundation, with a circulation of 130,000 nationally and internationally.

Date: 9/14/09

To: All GEYF Participants, Parents, and Coaches,

From: Ron White

Executive Director GEYF

Subject:  League Directive (Medical Treatment Clarification)

In the event of game time injury or illness GEYF participants will be both medically assessed and monitored by certified medical staff provided my Golden Empire Youth Tackle Football and Cheer. Throughout the medical assessment and monitoring process, GEYF Medical Staff will have sole authority as to determine a participant’s fitness to return to the action (football or cheer). Any coach who attempts to impede the medical assessment or monitoring process will be relieved of his or her duties immediately.

It is important to note that not even a child’s parent or guardian will be allowed to determine whether or not a GEYF participant can return to game action (football or cheer) once GEYF Medical Staff has ruled that participant ineligible to return. Any parent, guardian, and or individual attempting to impede the medical assessment or monitoring process will be removed from the league permanently.

First and foremost, Golden Empire Youth Tackle Football and Cheer is dedicated to the safety and security of all it participants, family members, friends, and volunteers. As an organization we take extreme measures to ensure everyone is safe and your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications.      
    

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe..) 
    

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide if you don't trust salt).  *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method. 
    

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water, or hydrogen peroxide. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose softly once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.* 
    

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption. 
    

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.