A claims-made study of knee injuries due to football in high school athletes.

This article is an analysis of the insurance claims for injuries sustained in high school football for the 1965, 1975-1977, and 1983-1985 football seasons. Thirteen percent of all injuries each season involved the knee. In 1965, 12% of patients were treated operatively, and, in 1985, 33% underwent surgery. Follow-up questionnaires completed by 446 (68%) of the players injured during 1975, 1976, and 1977, after a mean of 10 years, showed that 25% of players with ligament injuries, 30% with internal derangement of the knee, and 17% with patellar injuries claim disability for some athletic pursuits.