Abstract
CONTEXT: The advent of Web-based sports injury surveillance via programs such as the High School Reporting Information Online system and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program has aided the acquisition of wrestling injury data. OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of injuries sustained in high school boys' wrestling in the 2005-2006 through 2013-2014 academic years and collegiate men's wrestling in the 2004-2005 through 2013-2014 academic years using Web-based sports injury surveillance. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. SETTING: Online injury surveillance from wrestling teams of high school boys (annual average = 100) and collegiate men (annual average = 11). PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Male wrestlers who participated in practices and competitions during the 2005-2006 through 2013-2014 academic years in high school or the 2004-2005 through 2013-2014 academic years in college. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Athletic trainers collected time-loss (≥24 hours) injuries and exposure data during this time period. Injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs), injury rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals, and injury proportions by body site and diagnosis were calculated. RESULTS: The High School Reporting Information Online documented 3376 time-loss injuries during 1 416 314 AEs; the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program documented 2387 time-loss injuries during 257 297 AEs. The total injury rate was higher in college than in high school (9.28 versus 2.38/1000 AEs; injury rate ratio = 3.89; 95% confidence interval = 3.69, 4.10). In high school, the most commonly injured body parts for both practices and competitions were the head/face (practices = 19.9%, competitions = 21.4%) and shoulder/clavicle (practices = 14.1%, competitions = 21.0%). In college, the most frequently injured body parts for both practices and competitions were the knee (practices = 16.7%, competitions = 30.4%) and head/face (practices = 12.1%, competitions = 14.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Injury rates were higher in collegiate than in high school players, and the types of injuries sustained most often differed. Based on these results, continued study of primary and secondary prevention of injury in wrestlers across levels of competition is warranted.