Sex- and Age-Specific Review of Flag Football Injuries in the United States: A 10-Year Analysis of National Injury Data

Abstract

Context:

Flag football is a rapidly growing sport with injuries frequently presenting to emergency departments (EDs). Current literature on flag football lacks mechanisms of injury and any information pertaining to female athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine demographic-specific injury trends in those playing flag football.

Evidence Acquisition:

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried for flag football injuries presenting to United States EDs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2022. Patient demographics, injury site, diagnosis, and disposition were recorded. NEISS narratives were used to identify mechanisms of injury. National estimates (NEs) were calculated using the NEISS statistical sample weight. Annual injury trends were evaluated by linear regression.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Results:

There were 2508 flag football injuries (NE, 86,443) analyzed from 2013 to 2022; 78.2% were sustained by male athletes. Linear regression analysis revealed no significant trend in annual injuries (P = 0.16) from 2013 to 2022. The most common mechanism of injury was player-player collision (35.7%). The 2 age groups most affected by flag football injuries were middle school-aged (11-13 years) (20.8%) and high school-aged (14-18 years) (23.7%). The area of the body most affected for pediatric (<18 years) groups was the head, while adults most frequently injured their fingers. In addition, the most common mechanism for the pediatric age group was fracture (21.3%), whereas adult age groups most frequently suffered from strain/sprain injuries.

Conclusion:

The number of injuries from flag football identified in this study has not decreased throughout the last decade, aside from 2020 - potentially due to the prevalence of COVID-19. Collisions were the most frequent mechanism of injury across all age groups. Whereas younger athletes frequently sustained head injuries and fractures, older athletes typically sustained strain/sprain injuries and finger injuries.