title: Epidemiology of National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's and Women's Cross-Country Injuries, 2009-2010 Through 2013-2014.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent injury-surveillance data for collegiate-level cross-country athletes are limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the epidemiology of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's and women's cross-country injuries during the 2009-2010 through 2013-2014 academic years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive epidemiology study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aggregate injury and exposure data collected from 25 men's and 22 women's cross-country programs, providing 47 and 43 seasons of data, respectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  Collegiate student-athletes participating in men's and women's cross-country during the 2009-2010 through 2013-2014 academic years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Injury rates; injury rate ratios (RRs); injury proportions by body site, diagnosis, and apparatus; and injury proportion ratios were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Injury Surveillance Program captured 216 injuries from men's cross-country and 260 injuries from women's cross-country, leading to injury rates of 4.66/1000 athlete-exposures (AEs) for men (95% CI = 4.04, 5.28) and 5.85/1000 AEs for women (95% CI = 5.14, 6.56). The injury rate in women's cross-country was 1.25 times that of men's cross-country (95% CI = 1.05, 1.50). Most injuries affected the lower extremity (men = 90.3%, women = 81.9%). The hip/groin-injury rate in women (0.65/1000 AEs) was higher than that in men (0.15/1000 AEs; RR = 4.32; 95% CI = 1.89, 9.85). The ankle-injury rate in men (0.60/1000 AEs) was higher than that in women (0.29/1000 AEs; RR = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.07, 3.99). Common diagnoses were strains (men = 19.9%, women = 20.4%) and inflammation (men = 18.1%, women = 23.8%). The majority of injuries were classified as overuse (men = 57.6%, women = 53.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consistent with prior research, injury distributions varied between male and female athletes, and the injury rate among females was higher. Understanding the epidemiology of these cross-country injuries may be important for developing appropriate preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Inc, Indianapolis, IN;
authors.forename: Zachary Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.affiliation: Sports Science Institute, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, IN;|Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle;
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kroshus
authors.affiliation: St Vincent Sports Performance, Indianapolis, IN.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Sports Science Institute, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, IN;
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.affiliation: Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Inc, Indianapolis, IN;
authors.forename: Dustin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Folger
authors.affiliation: Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Inc, Indianapolis, IN;
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hayden
authors.affiliation: Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Inc, Indianapolis, IN;
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Dompier
mesh_terms: D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012420:Running / Q000293:injuries*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: collegiate sports; distance running; injury prevention