Epidemiology of Hamstring Tears in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes: Findings From the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program Between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019

Abstract

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of hamstring tears in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports. Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Athletic trainers from NCAA schools reported injuries to the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program. Setting: A convenience sample of NCAA hamstring tear injuries during the 2014/2015 through 2018/2019 academic years. Patients (or Participants): NCAA student-athletes. Independent Variables: Sport, sex, event type, season segment, injury history, and activity at the time of injury. Main Outcome Measures: Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used. Results: Two thousand ninety-six hamstring tears from 8 474 400 athlete-exposures (AEs) were reported (2.47 per 10 000 AEs). Rates were highest in Men's Soccer (5.97 per 10 000 AEs) and Women's Soccer (3.13 per 10 000 AEs), among all Men's and Women's sports, respectively. Competition-related rates in Men's and Women's sports were highest in 2015 to 2016 then followed a decreasing pattern across the remainder of the study period. Among sex-comparable sports, rates were higher in men's (compared with women's) Baseball/Softball, Soccer, and Track and Field. The prevalence of recurrent injuries was comparable among men's (14.8%) and women's (11.5%) sports. Time loss hamstring tears were more prevalent in Men's sports than Women's sports [injury proportion ratio = 1.33; 95% confidence interval, (1.21, 1.47)]. Conclusions: Overall, hamstring tear rates were higher across all Men's sports compared with Women's sports. Rates across event type were comparable in several sports; and so, adjustments to practice are needed considering that practice environments are more modifiable than competitions. Indeed, improving hamstring tear prevention programs to reduce the burden of this injury in NCAA athletes remains critical.