Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association logoLink to The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association
. 1979 Sep;23(3):89–99.

Football injury: a literature review *

John J Kos
PMCID: PMC2484041

Abstract

A great deal of concern is recently being expressed relative to the playing of tackle football by adolescent Canadians. The purpose of this literature review is to try to summarize the important data from the available world literature. Very few Canadian statistics are available. Most of the data comes from United States experience. Tackle football injury is examined from various perspectives:

1. Equipment

2. Mechanisms of injury

3. Types of injury, with some emphasis on epiphyseal injury

4. Prevention

5. Comparison with other sports

Although no “hard and fast” conclusion is drawn, the paper tends to show that:

1. Football is dangerous

2. Football is damaging to many body systems

3. Prevention of injury is difficult under present conditions

4. Alternate games, such as soccer and rugby seem to provide the same benefits with less catastrophic injuries

Full text

PDF
89

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALLEY R. H., Jr HEAD AND NECK INJURIES IN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. JAMA. 1964 May 4;188:418–422. doi: 10.1001/jama.1964.03060310018004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Adams J. E. Bone injuries in very young athletes. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1968 May-Jun;58:129–140. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Albright J. P., Moses J. M., Feldick H. G., Dolan K. D., Burmeister L. F. Nonfatal cervical spine injuries in interscholastic football. JAMA. 1976 Sep 13;236(11):1243–1245. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bramwell S. T., Requa R. K., Garrick J. G. High school football injuries: a pilot comparison of playing surfaces. Med Sci Sports. 1972 Fall;4(3):166–169. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Drusin L. M., Finkbeiner J. A., McCoy J. R., Miller D. G. Malignant lymphoma occurring in patient and pet. JAMA. 1966 Apr 4;196(1):99–101. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Funk F. F., Wells R. E. Injuries of the cervical spine in football. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1975;(109):50–58. doi: 10.1097/00003086-197506000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Grant T. T., Puffer J. Cervical stenosis: a developmental anomaly with quadriparesis during football. Am J Sports Med. 1976 Sep-Oct;4(5):219–221. doi: 10.1177/036354657600400505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Robey J. M. Contribution of design and construction of football helmets to the occurrence of injuries. Med Sci Sports. 1972 Fall;4(3):170–174. doi: 10.1249/00005768-197200430-00012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. SCHNEIDER R. C., REIFEL E., CRISLER H. O., OOSTERBAAN B. G. Serious and fatal football injuries involving the head and spinal cord. JAMA. 1961 Aug 12;177:362–367. doi: 10.1001/jama.1961.03040320006002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Schwab S. A. Epiphyseal injuries in the growing athlete. Can Med Assoc J. 1977 Sep 17;117(6):626–630. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Torg J. S., Quedenfeld T. C., Moyer R. A., Truex R., Spealman A. D., Nichols C. E. Severe and catastrophic neck injuries resulting from tackle football. J Am Coll Health Assoc. 1977 Apr;25(4):224–226. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Torg J. S., Quedenfeld T. C., Thieler E. R., 3rd, Lignelli G. J. Collision with spring-loaded football tackling and blocking dummies. Report of near-fetal and fatal injuries. JAMA. 1976 Sep 13;236(11):1270–1271. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Walkden L. The medical hazards of rugby football. Practitioner. 1975 Aug;215(1286):201–207. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association are provided here courtesy of The Canadian Chiropractic Association

RESOURCES