Kyrie Irving and the Importance of Player Safety (Visual Resource)

Kyrie Irving and the Importance of Player Safety (Visual Resource)

As many fans, athletes and exercisers may have observed, an unusual amount of NBA All-Stars suffered season-ending injuries this season, with Kyrie Irving being the latest after sustaining a broken kneecap in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. So too did several local Atlanta Hawks during 2014/15. It is for this reason that the Sports Techie community blog is bringing to your attention an infographic created by Ohio University’s Masters in Athletic Administration program, which highlights the current climate of sports injuries (particularly those occurring in youth sports) as well as ways to minimize the risk of injury and long-term damage. Pay attention to the bottom of the information for sports technology products and tech driven procedures that are stemming the flow of injuries and reversing the course for young boys and girls as well as adult men and women athletes.

Player Safety
The growth of college and especially high school sports has crossed over to the mainstream, causing a plethora of both print and electronic media according to the Ohio University Master’s in Athletic Administration in Athletic Administration Infographic research. Reality is most sporting event injuries at the youth and adult levels are not garnering the necessary media coverage it needs to help change the tide for the nearly 2.6 million youth athletes (less than 19 years of age) that underwent medical consideration for injuries occurring during sports and recreational activities per year.

This player safety Infographic takes a deep dive look at this fundamental and alarming issue that is rising in occurrences with eye-opening facts and the latest thoughts about prevention and treatment for sport-related injuries.

Ohio University Online

Sports with Highest Rates of Injuries
The U.S. loves sports no matter what the age of the participants so it is no surprise that high school football is leading the way with the number of sports-related injuries at 44%. Surprisingly, girls soccer takes second place with 16% followed by boys soccer. Next in line is boys wresting and then girls basketball.

Analyzing the highest injury rate shows high school football at number one because of 3.74 athletes injured per 1,000 students. An alarming statistic to consider is 62% of these injuries occur during practice while training.

Main High School and College Athletic Injuries
Because high school and colleges are slashing their budgets, Ohio University states that funding has decreased on sporting facilities and qualified staff. The fact is 47 states have spent less per student over the last five years. So it makes sense then that high school and collegiate institutions have subpar medical facilities resulting in 48% of nurses taking care of 750 students each in the leading schools.

Consequences
As a result of sports injures, students are using high schools and universities for lack of protection. An injury can also lead to the end of a school’s sporting season.

Most Common Sports Injuries
Sprains and strains are by far the biggest direction action issue occurring during practice and athletic competitions for high schoolers at a 44% clip and for college athletes at 41%. Because of the increase in reporting and safety measures, concussions rank second but note that 10% more happen during a game or match rather than practice time. Contusions and fractures round out the moist common sports injuries during training and competition.

Overextension for athletes that have sickle cell anemia is the most common indirect sports injury. Heat stroke and cardiac arrest are the next leading indirect causes. Sadly, a heart attack takes the life of one on every 22,903 athletes ranging in age from 17-24. Due to global warming and other factors such as lack of trainers or water breaks, heat stroke killed approximately 20 kids from 2010 to 2014.

Strategies for Injury Prevention
Because 7.7 million students participate in high school and college sports, the need to prevent injuries is paramount to our health care system, an athlete’s well-being and top athletic performances. Ohio University identified the need for improved acclimatization procedures for the prevention of heats stroke. The fact that 100% of overheated athletes survive death after cold-water immersion is telling and a positive fact all administrators need to consider having in place.

Sports Tech Solutions
Coaches and athletic directors can use cutting edge sport tech products to screen athletes. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) calculator measures radiant temperature, humidity and air temperature, and is in use by many NCAA institutions and the US Army. The data-driven reports allow coaches to have real tangibles to consider which help prevent heat stroke incidents.

The helmet guardian cap helps to reduce and even prevent concussive impacts and contusions to the skull.

Cooling tech is a fast emerging space. Using both hand cooling gloves and cardiovascular screening before athletes are allowed to compete in practice and games has shown promise as solid prevention strategies.

Practice and Game Planning
Finally, preparing well-thought out practice routines is a sports injury prevention game-changer. Since 45% of injuries happen during practices and 58% of them happen after two hours of sport training, it makes sense that athletes may be to the point of mental and physical exhaustion so coaches need to make adjustments to planning and the length of practices. By doing so, the numbers show changes in practice activities can help reduce the spiraling rate of injuries.

I am a firm believer and the metrics bear out that additional warm up periods resulting in fewer injuries during both practice and competition. Women and girls are benefiting from muscle specific training methods leading to less AlC injury risk by a reported 72%.

For more information, please see the full infographic, found here: http://athleticadminonline.ohio.edu/resources/infographics/player-safety/.

Sports Techie, we live in a sports analytics world so understanding youth safety numbers and how they are changing practice and competition injury rates for athletes, coaches and parents and then changing the status quo are steps in the right direction during practice and games, especially because of the implementation of sports tech products.

Remember, safety in every young athletes and youth sports programs best interest.

Our gratitude to Ohio University for the informative infographic.

See y’all later in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world.

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