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. 2020 Dec 16;22(2):410-416.
doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.9.48490.

Rising Trends in Wrestling-associated Injuries in Females Presenting to US Emergency Departments

Connor Hoge  1 , Kevin Pirruccio  2 , Olivia G Cohen  2 , John D Kelly 4th  2
Affiliations

Rising Trends in Wrestling-associated Injuries in Females Presenting to US Emergency Departments

Connor Hoge et al. West J Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: Wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports among females in the United States (US). However, female wrestling injuries remain poorly characterized. In this study we describe historical and projected national estimates of female wrestling injuries, and compare injury characteristics with those of male wrestlers.

Methods: We queried the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database (2005-2019) to compare national weighted estimates and injury characteristics of male vs female wrestlers presenting to US emergency departments (ED) and projected annual female wrestling injuries expected by 2030.

Results: Our analyses demonstrated a significant (P < 0.001) increase in female wrestling injuries between 2005 (N = 1500; confidence interval [CI], 923 - 2,078) and 2019 (N = 3,404; CI 2,296 - 4,513). Linear regression (R2 = 0.69; P < 0.001) projected 4,558 (CI, 3104 - 6033) such injuries in 2030. Of female wrestling injuries 50.1% (CI, 44.1 - 56.2) occurred in patients 14-18 years of age. Compared with age-matched males, female wrestlers were significantly less likely to present with fractures (Female [F]: 10.6%; CI 7.5% - 13.7%; Male [M]: 15.7%; CI 14.7% - 16.7%; P = 0.003) or head/neck injuries (F: 18.5%; CI 13.2% - 23.9%; M: 24.6%; CI 23.2% - 26.0%; P = 0.018), and significantly more likely to present with strains/sprains (F: 48.8%; CI, 41.2% - 56.3%; M: 34.4%; CI 31.6% - 37.1%; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Males and females possess distinctly unique physiology and anatomy, such as variances in ligamentous and muscular strength, which may help to explain differences in wrestling injury characteristics. Prompt management of injuries and specific training strategies aimed at prevention may help to reduce the projected increase of female wrestling-associated injuries as the popularity of the sport continues to rise.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. No author has professional or financial relationships with any companies that are relevant to this study. There are no conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Historical and projected weighted national estimates of female patients presenting to US emergency departments with wrestling-associated injuries, 2005–2030.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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