Facial Trauma in Sports

Abstract

Injuries resulting from facial trauma are common in all sports. Athlete-to-athlete contact, falls, and blows from equipment account for the majority of these events. Appropriate knowledge of basic science, relevant anatomy, and clinical skills is required to provide the correct medical care. While true medical emergencies are infrequent, a prompt accurate diagnosis is essential in developing targeted management and return to play options.

Trends and characteristics of maxillofacial fractures sustained during sports activities in Japan

“…Fractures mostly occurred as a result of collision with another player . In rugby and soccer, 97.5% and 90% of patients received fractures by collision with another player as they played in the same field, and there was a high chance of physical contact with high energy .…”

“…In rugby and soccer, 97.5% and 90% of patients received fractures by collision with another player as they played in the same field, and there was a high chance of physical contact with high energy . The injury by being hit by a ball was predominantly observed in sports using a small ball moving at high speed . In baseball and softball, 81.2% and 59.1% of patients received fractures after being hit by a ball.…”

“…Various kinds of sports are performed worldwide as school activities, for recreation and maintenance of healthy daily life in the community, and some of them are professional. During sports activity, athletes may accidentally fall, collide with another player or ground equipment, or be hit by a ball or the equipment of another player . These accidents can result in maxillofacial fractures and/or injuries to other sites of the body.…”

Facial Trauma Patterns Among Young Athletes

“…These findings are in concordance with previous studies of NCAA and professional athletes. 6 -13 The specific NCAA study cited as inspiration for this study, measured the incidence rate of maxillofacial injuries by site, sport, and gender along with need for surgical intervention were measured over a 10-year period. 6 Our data suggest that participation in some of the traditionally noncontact sports, specifically baseball, carries a higher risk of midface maxillofacial trauma ( P < .00001) similar to previous NCAA and professional sports population studies (Figure 4).…”

“…6 Our data suggest that participation in some of the traditionally noncontact sports, specifically baseball, carries a higher risk of midface maxillofacial trauma ( P < .00001) similar to previous NCAA and professional sports population studies (Figure 4). 6,7,9- 13 While these sports generally limit physical contact compared to football or hockey, they also provide less protective equipment. Mechanism of injury in baseball in our data set was related to being hit in the face with a batted or thrown baseball.…”