Softball injuries treated in US EDs, 1994 to 2010. Am J Emerg Med 2013 Jun;31(6):900-5
Date
04/23/2013Pubmed ID
23602754DOI
10.1016/j.ajem.2013.02.039Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84879111175 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 20 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Softball is a popular participant sport in the United States. This study investigated the epidemiology of softball injuries with comparisons between children and adults.
METHODS: Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for patients 7 years and older treated in an emergency department (ED) for a softball injury from 1994 through 2010 were analyzed.
RESULTS: An estimated 2107823 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1736417-2479229) patients were treated in US EDs for a softball injury during the 17-year study period. The annual number of injuries decreased by 23.0% from 1994 to 2010 (P < .001); however, during the last 6 years of the study, injuries increased by 11.7% (P = .008). The annual rate of softball injuries increased significantly during the study period (P = .035). The most commonly injured body regions were the hand/wrist (22.2%) and face (19.3%). Being hit by a ball was the most common mechanism of injury (52.4%) and accounted for most of face (89.6%) and head (75.7%) injuries. Injuries associated with running (relative risk, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.97-2.82) and diving for a ball (relative risk, 4.61; 95% CI, 3.50-6.09) were more likely to occur among adult than pediatric patients.
CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate softball injuries using a nationally representative sample. Softball is a common source of injury among children and adults. Increased efforts are needed to promote safety measures, such as face guards, mouth guards, safety softballs, and break-away bases, to decrease these injuries.
Author List
Birchak JC, Rochette LM, Smith GAAuthor
John C. Birchak MD Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Age Factors
Baseball
Child
Craniocerebral Trauma
Emergency Service, Hospital
Facial Injuries
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
United States
Young Adult
