Injury Severity
According to the NATA study, the severity of the injuries was as follows:
- More than three out of four (79.4% for boys, 76.0% for girls) of the injuries were minor (the injury caused the player to miss the remainder of the practice or game, but he or she was able to play again within 7 days)
- 12.4% of the boys’ injuries and 15.1% of the injuries to girls were considered moderate (causing the player to miss the remainder of the practice or game and the next 8 to 21 days;
- Less than one in 10 (8.2% for boys, 9.0% for girls) were major (causing the player to be out more than 21 days).
- Only 2.6% of the injured boys and 3.0% of the injured girls required surgery for their injuries.
- Of those injuries requiring surgery, knee injuries accounted for 44.5% of the total for boys and 50% of the total for girls.
The percentages for the moderate
and severe categories represented a 31% reduction from the percentages
found during an identical NATA study conducted a decade earlier between
1986 and 1988.
Cause of Injury
The most common causes of injuries are:
- Scrambling for loose balls (34.4% boys; 36.3% girls)
- Controlled pattern activity (27.7% boys; 32.6% girls)
- Rebounding (26.0% boys; 30.8% girls)
