Common High School Football Injuries by Position

Approximately 1.1 million high school football players take to the field each year to delight their fans. While most of those players have a successful career, learn to work together on a team, and get great physical exercise, football injuries occur in about .5 % of players. The most common types of injuries vary by the position that these young people play.  

Offense

Of the small number of players who are hurt playing football, about 57 % of players were playing offense when the injury occurred. Of those injuries, about 16 % occurred while students were playing in the running back position. Running backs were most likely to sustain an injury to an ankle, while the second most commonly hurt body part is the knee followed by the head. The second most frequently injured position were those students playing wide receiver who received about 11 % of all football injuries. These students are most likely to suffer ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries. Students who played the remaining offensive positions sustained about the same number of injuries regardless of the position that they played.  

Defense

On the other side of the ball, linebackers suffered 14.9 % of all injuries. Linebackers experience almost an equal number of head, shoulder, and knee injuries. The second most commonly injured position is a defensive tackle with about 9 % of all defensive injuries. These players were most likely to tear up a knee, but shoulder and head injuries were also common. The remaining defensive positions had fewer injuries.  

Special Teams

If you want to play football, but not get injured, then you might want to earn a position on the special team squad. Only about 4 % of long snappers suffer injuries, and there are even fewer injuries to kickers and punters. When a special team member gets hurt, however, they are slightly more apt to need surgery.  

Preventing Football Injuries

Most players lose only three days of playing time when they are injured. Those days, however, can be very painful. There are several ways that football coaches can help prevent injuries in young players. Conditioning plays an important role, and coaches cannot get players into shape within two or three weeks if they have not kept themselves ready throughout the off-season. Taping and bracing can also help. Additionally, stretching before and after exercise helps prevent injuries  

Unfortunately, some football players will be injured again this year, despite everyone’s best efforts. If you are a parent of one of those players, then take them to an orthopedic surgeon in Lake Mary, Florida. A treatment plan can be developed to get your player back into the action soon. At the same time, the orthopedic surgeons in Lake Mary will help set realistic goals.