Abstract
Background
Softball is a popular participant sport in the United States. This study investigated
the epidemiology of softball injuries with comparisons between children and adults.
Methods
Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for patients 7 years
and older treated in an emergency department (ED) for a softball injury from 1994
through 2010 were analyzed.
Results
An estimated 2107823 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1736417-2479229) patients were treated in US EDs for a softball injury during the 17-year study
period. The annual number of injuries decreased by 23.0% from 1994 to 2010 (P < .001); however, during the last 6 years of the study, injuries increased by 11.7%
(P = .008). The annual rate of softball injuries increased significantly during the
study period (P = .035). The most commonly injured body regions were the hand/wrist (22.2%) and face
(19.3%). Being hit by a ball was the most common mechanism of injury (52.4%) and accounted
for most of face (89.6%) and head (75.7%) injuries. Injuries associated with running
(relative risk, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.97-2.82) and diving for a ball (relative risk, 4.61;
95% CI, 3.50-6.09) were more likely to occur among adult than pediatric patients.
Conclusions
To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate softball injuries using a
nationally representative sample. Softball is a common source of injury among children
and adults. Increased efforts are needed to promote safety measures, such as face
guards, mouth guards, safety softballs, and break-away bases, to decrease these injuries.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: April 19, 2013
Accepted:
February 26,
2013
Received in revised form:
February 26,
2013
Received:
January 6,
2013
Footnotes
☆Conflicts of interest and sources of support: The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures relevant to this article to declare. John C. Birchak received a student research scholarship from the Medical Student Research Scholarship Fund of The Ohio State University College of Medicine while he worked on this study.
☆☆Disclaimer: The interpretations and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the US Department of the Army.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
