Relationship of Athletic Injuries to the Sport's Season (Poster)

Abstract

There are many factors that contribute to a college athlete's risk for injury.  Previous studies have shown that life stress can be a predictor for injury.  The current study investigated if academic stress plays a role in athletic injury rate.  Data collected from the university athletic trainer between 2012 and 2015 on athletic injuries was analyzed.  Results indicate that season start and end dates play a role in when injuries occur.  No evidence was found for academic events such as mid-terms and finals influencing the rate of injury. These findings suggest that the rate of injury for a given sport may be classified as being predominantly early-season, predominantly late-season, or predominately mid-season. Further research is needed to determine the individual factors for each sport that may explain the changes in rate of injury.