Mikhail David, Sugimoto Dai, Schultz Cassidy, Radel Luke, Soma David, Ulman Sophia, Jones Jacob
Department of Orthopedics, University Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Phys Sportsmed. 2025 Aug 19:1-7. doi: 10.1080/00913847.2025.2548761.
American football has traditionally been male-dominated, but female participation in youth football is increasing, especially with the rise of flag football. This study aimed to (1) describe the epidemiology of injured body parts and diagnoses in female youth football athletes, and (2) compare injury patterns between pre-high school (≤14 years) and high school (≥15 years) players.
American football-related injury data were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) from 2012-2021, representing U.S. emergency department visits. All participants were female and ≤18 years. Injuries were classified by body part and diagnosis, then compared between pre-high school and high school groups. Descriptive statistics summarized injury characteristics. Chi-square tests assessed group differences, with odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and p-values for significance. NEISS data lack detail on injury context, which may limit interpretation.
A total of 3,348 injuries were identified: 2,342 in pre-high school and 1,006 in high school athletes. The most common injury sites for both groups were the upper extremity (pre-high school: 57.9%; high school: 43.1%), followed by the lower extremity (22.1% vs. 30.6%) and head/trunk (18.7% vs. 25.1%). Pre-high school athletes sustained proportionally more finger injuries (38.8% vs. 27.1%, p=0.001) and fractures (31.8% vs. 20.4%, p=0.001). High school athletes had higher proportions of head (20.5% vs. 14.1%), ankle (12.7% vs. 10.2%), and knee injuries (10.3% vs. 5.3%) (all p<0.05), as well as more sprains/strains (39.3% vs. 33.9%, p=0.003) and concussions (11.1% vs. 7.4%, p=0.001).
Injury patterns differ by age among female youth football players. Pre-high school athletes more often sustain finger injuries and fractures, while high school athletes experience more head, ankle, and knee injuries, along with higher rates of sprains/strains and concussions. These differences may reflect variations in physiology and style of play, and findings may inform age-specific injury prevention strategies and guide future research on female football athletes.
传统上，美式橄榄球一直以男性为主导，但女性参与青少年橄榄球运动的人数正在增加，尤其是随着腰旗橄榄球的兴起。本研究旨在：（1）描述女性青少年橄榄球运动员受伤身体部位和诊断的流行病学情况；（2）比较高中前（≤14岁）和高中（≥15岁）球员的损伤模式。
从国家电子伤害监测系统（NEISS）获取2012 - 2021年与美式橄榄球相关的伤害数据，这些数据代表美国急诊室就诊情况。所有参与者均为18岁及以下女性。损伤按身体部位和诊断进行分类，然后在高中前组和高中组之间进行比较。描述性统计总结损伤特征。卡方检验评估组间差异，给出优势比（OR）、95%置信区间（CI）和显著性p值。NEISS数据缺乏损伤背景细节，这可能会限制解读。
共识别出3348例损伤：高中前运动员有2342例，高中运动员有1006例。两组最常见的受伤部位均为上肢（高中前：57.9%；高中：43.1%），其次是下肢（22.1%对30.6%）和头部/躯干（18.7%对25.1%）。高中前运动员手指损伤（38.8%对27.1%，p = 0.001）和骨折（31.8%对20.4%，p = 0.001）的比例相对较高。高中运动员头部（20.5%对14.1%）、脚踝（12.7%对10.2%）和膝盖损伤（10.3%对5.3%）的比例更高（均p<0.05），扭伤/拉伤（39.3%对33.9%，p = 0.003）和脑震荡（11.1%对7.4%，p = 0.001）也更多。
女性青少年橄榄球运动员的损伤模式因年龄而异。高中前运动员更常出现手指损伤和骨折，而高中运动员则更多经历头部、脚踝和膝盖损伤，以及更高的扭伤/拉伤和脑震荡发生率。这些差异可能反映了生理和比赛风格的不同，研究结果可为特定年龄的损伤预防策略提供参考，并指导未来对女性橄榄球运动员的研究。
