Citation

Gaw CE, Chounthirath T, Smith GA. Clin. J. Sport. Med. 2014; 24(3): 226-232.

Affiliation

*Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; †Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; ‡The Ohio State University, College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio; and §Child Injury Prevention Alliance, Columbus, Ohio.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/JSM.0000000000000029

PMID

24284946

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: To analyze the patterns and causes of tennis-related injuries using, for the first time, a nationally representative data set. DESIGN:: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. SETTING:: All tennis-related injuries treated in US emergency departments (EDs) from 1990 to 2011 were analyzed. PATIENTS:: During the study period, an estimated 492 002 (95% confidence interval, 364 668-619 336) individuals, aged 5 to 94 years, presented to US EDs for tennis-related injuries. ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS:: Independent variables include patient age and gender, mechanism of injury, and location of injury event. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:: Outcome variables include injury diagnosis, body region injured, disposition from ED, and involvement of the net. RESULTS:: Most injuries were sustained by a nonspecific mechanism during play (37.9%) and occurred at a sport or recreation facility (83.4%). Children aged 5 to 18 years had a higher mean injury rate than adults older than 19 years. The most commonly injured body regions were the lower extremities (42.2%) and upper extremities (26.7%). Sprains or strains (44.1%) were the most common type of injury. The number of tennis-related injuries decreased by 41.4% during the years 1990 to 2011, and the tennis-related injury rates decreased by more than 45% during the study period. Among the 3.4% of patients who were admitted to the hospital, two-thirds (65.6%) involved patients 56 years of age or older. CONCLUSIONS:: Despite the decrease in tennis-related injuries, the growing popularity of this sport warrants increased efforts to prevent injuries, especially among child and older adult participants.

Language: en