Football Injury Risk Higher At Start of Game
Reported August 14, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A fan in the stands might think kickoff is the most exciting part of the football game, but for players the start of the game may be the most dangerous.
Researchers found the beginning of the game is more intense than the end. Studies show injuries occur more regularly and are more severe during the beginning and middle part of the game than the end and during overtime.
Over 70 percent of football injuries occur in the early half of the game, while only 30 percent happen in the end or overtime. Researchers also found 75 percent of injuries occur in the middle of the field. Field location and competition time were factors that were studied to determine injury severity.
“Not only does the time in competition affect injuries but also the phase of play,” Dawn Comstock, PhD, principal investigator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, August 2009