Frequency Of College Recreational Activity Injury Types: Intramural, Club, Open Recreational Sport, And Other Activities

In the United States, college students participate in campus recreation activities including intramural sports (IMS), club sports (CS), open recreational sports (ORS), and other recreational activities such as outdoor programs and fitness. Although participation in recreational activities can improve students’ academic success, injuries are an inherent aspect of recreational activities. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and associations of injured body parts and injury types sustained during college recreational sports and activities. METHODS: Injury reports included individuals who sustained a documented injury at a University Recreation Center (URC) during the academic years of 2013-2019. Reports were documented by URC employees, and injured individuals received a follow up call to define the final diagnoses. Athletic trainers documented the follow up diagnosis, then deidentified and compiled all injury reports (n = 1131) into a spreadsheet for analysis. Numerical codes were assigned to distinguish activity, body part, and the type of injury sustained. Descriptive statistics assessed frequency of injury types. Chi square analysis established statistical association between body part, injury type and activity with alpha set to .05. Cramer’s V was calculated to determine effect size. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics assessed injury frequency for activity, body part, and follow up injury diagnosis (Table). The following variables had a significant association, and a moderate effect size: activity and follow up injury (p < .001; Cramer’s v = .293); body part and follow up injury (p < .001; Cramer’s v = .539); activity and body part (p < .001; Cramer’s v = .242). CONCLUSION: Over 10% of CS injuries were diagnosed with a concussion while almost half of IMS and ORS injuries were diagnosed with a ligament sprain. Injuries to the lower extremity were most common for IMS, CS, and ORS participants, which is similar to other sport settings. Table - Injury Frequency Data Total Frequency (Percentage) Intramural Frequency (Percentage) Club Sport Frequency (Percentage) Open Recreational Sports Frequency (Percentage) Other Recreational Activities Frequency (Percentage) Activity Intramural Sport 606 (53.6%) - - - - Club Sport 93 (8.2%) Open Rec Sport 231 (20.4%) Other Rec Activity Body Part Head/Face/Neck 240 (21.2%) 140 (23.1%) 29 (31.2%) 50 (21.7%) 21 (10.4%) Upper Extremity 232 (20.5%) 109 (18.0%) 11 (11.8%) 42 (18.2%) 70 (34.8%) Lower Extremity 578 (51.1%) 342 (56.4%) 41 (44.1%) 135 (58.4%) 60 (29.9%) Trunk 22 (1.9%) 9 (1.5%) 1 (1.1%) 1 (0.4%) 11 (5.5%) Whole Body 56 (5.0%) 5 (0.8%) 10 (10.7%) 3 (1.3%) 38 (18.9%) Unspecified 3 (0.3%) 1 (0.2%) 1 (1.1%) 0 (0.0%) 1 (0.5%) Follow-Up Injury Diagnosis Concussion 42 (3.7%) 29 (4.8%) 10 (10.8%) 2 (0.9%) 1 (0.5%) Contusion 110 (9.7%) 61 (10.1%) 15 (16.1%) 12 (5.2%) 22 (10.9%) Dislocation 68 (6.0%) 33 (5.4%) 6 (6.4%) 18 (7.8%) 11 (5.5%) Fracture/Avulsion 96 (8.5%) 63 (10.4%) 10 (10.8%) 16 (6.9%) 7 (3.5%) Laceration/Abrasion 202 (17.9%) 71 (11.7%) 11 (11.8%) 49 (21.2%) 71 (35.3%) Ligament Sprain 418 (37.0%) 261 (43.1%) 22 (23.7%) 115 (49.8%) 20 (9.9%) Muscle Strain 79 (7.0%) 56 (9.2%) 6 (6.5%) 7 (3.0%) 10 (5.0%) Illness/Infection 65 (5.7%) 7 (1.2%) 10 (10.7%) 5 (2.2%) 43 (21.4%) Other 51 (4.5%) 25 (4.1%) 3 (3.2%) 7 (3.0%) 16 (8.0%)