The prevention of injuries in contact flag football

Abstract

Purpose American flag football is a non-tackle, contact sport with many moderate to severe contact-type injuries reported. A previous prospective injury surveillance study by the authors revealed a high incidence of injuries to the fingers, face, knee, shoulder and ankle. The objectives of the study were to conduct a pilot-prospective injury prevention study in an attempt to significantly reduce the incidence and the severity of injuries as compared to a historical cohort, as well as to provide recommendations for a future prospective injury prevention study. Methods A prospective injury prevention study was conducted involving 724 amateur male (mean age: 20.0 ± 3.1 years) and 114 female (mean age: 21.2 ± 7.2 years) players. Four prevention measures were implemented: the no-pocket rule, self-fitting mouth guards, ankle braces (for those players with recurrent ankle sprains) and an injury treatment information brochure. An injury surveillance questionnaire was administered to record all time-loss injuries sustained in game sessions. Results There was a statistically significant reduction in the number of injured players, the number of finger/hand injuries, the incidence rate and the incidence proportion between the two cohorts (p \ 0.05). Conclusions This one-season pilot prevention study has provided preliminary evidence that finger/hand injuries can be significantly reduced in flag football. Prevention strategies for a longer, prospective, randomised-controlled injury prevention study should include the strict enforcement of the no-pocket rule, appropriate head gear, the use of comfortable-fitting ankle braces and mouth guards, and changing the blocking rules of the game. Level of evidence II.

Facial Fractures in Young Adults: A National Retrospective Study

“…Although variants of the sport have guidelines for injury prevention, 34 it is likely that these guidelines are not followed in typical recreational settings. Despite studies showing that there is risk for injury, 35,36 It is likely that individuals participating in these variants of the sport believe that nonprofessional practice of football poses a lesser risk for injury and therefore warrants little to no protective equipment. This may warrant further investigation into overall football-related facial injury as a result of noncompliance with recommended protective equipment and practices.…”

The epidemiology of wrist and hand injury in two hospitals in Jerusalem: substantial differences between population subgroups

“…Improvement in equipment, such as better designed hand knotting carpet looms, may be effective in lowering injury rates [33]. Similar success has been demonstrated with specific leisure time injuries, such as a decrease of finger injuries in contact flag football games, when players are not allowed to wear pants with pockets [15]. It is possible that in our subpopulation of ultra-Orthodox children, simple technical solutions aimed at the prevention of door slamming, may be effective in lowering injury rates.…”

“…Our hypothesis was that in hand trauma patients, there are significant differences between subpopulations within the same municipality, not only in comparison with other countries or on a national scale. Finding these differences in wrist and hand injuries between subpopulations and settings within a specific geographic area, may be crucial to the development of effective prevention programs [14, 15]. We therefore aimed to characterize hand and wrist injuries in Jerusalem concerning subpopulations within the city.…”

Injuries can be prevented in contact flag football!

“…A pilot injury prevention study in flag football has been conducted [16]. The study provided preliminary evidence that hand/wrist injuries can be significantly reduced as well as important information that aided in refining research methodology for this present prospective prevention study.…”

“…Previous studies in flag football have shown a high percentage of anatomical specific injuries: the hand/wrist (16–34 %), the knee (11–18 %), the ankle (8–17 %), the face and head (18–29 %) and the shoulder (9–10 %) [4, 6, 15, 16]. Direct trauma was responsible for the vast majority of injuries (64–75 %6).…”