@article{ref1,
title="Epidemiological analysis of pediatric baseball and softball concussions in United States emergency departments",
journal="American journal of emergency medicine",
year="2023",
author="Abed, Varag and Hawk, Gregory S. and Conley, Caitlin and Akarakian, Roy and Stone, Austin V.",
volume="69",
number="",
pages="143-146",
abstract="PURPOSE: To evaluate the epidemiology of concussions in pediatric baseball and softball players. We hypothesized that head-to-ball injuries would be the most common cause of concussions. <br><br>METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was used to gather data. Concussions occurring during baseball and softball participation in pediatric patients (4-17 years old) from 2012 to 2021 was gathered. Concussion mechanisms were grouped into 5 categories: head-to-player, head-to-ball, head-to-surface (ground, walls, railings), head-to-bat, and unknown. Linear regression models were used to assess changes in yearly concussion rates over the study period. <br><br>RESULTS from these models were reported using parameter estimates and the estimated Pearson correlation coefficient. <br><br>RESULTS: A weighted total of 54,978 baseball and softball related concussion injuries were analyzed. The average weighted age of our cohort at the time of injury was 13.1 years, with 54.1% (n = 29,761) of concussions occurring in males. The national estimated incidence of concussion injuries decreased non-significantly over the study period (slope estimate = -311 concussions/year, r = -0.625, p-value = 0.054). The majority of weighted national estimate concussions were due to head-to-ball injuries (n = 34,650; 63.0%), followed by head-to-player (n = 8501; 15.5%), head-to-surface (n = 5347; 9.7%), and head-to-bat (n = 5089; 9.3%). On sub-analysis, individuals were grouped into 3 age brackets: 4-8, 9-13, and 14-17 years. The most common mechanism of concussions in children of all ages was head-to-ball. The incidence of head-to-player and head-to-surface injuries increased throughout each age group, while head-to-bat decreased. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The incidence of concussions in pediatric baseball and softball athletes has been decreasing non-significantly over our 10-year study period. The most common mechanism of concussions in our study was head-to-ball injuries.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0735-6757",
doi="10.1016/j.ajem.2023.04.025",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2023.04.025"
}