Trends in Sport Related Foot and Ankle Injuries in Adults 65 and Over Presenting to US Emergency Rooms from 2009-2018: A Descriptive Epidemiology Study

CATEGORY: Sports INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: The percentage of the U.S population that is age 65 and older is expected to rise to 19.3% by the year 2030, up from 13% in 2010. Only 39% of seniors get the recommended amount of weekly exercise. This has led to Medicare sponsored fitness plans to increase of the number of older adults being active. For this percentage it is important that they are aware of safety precautions and ways to prevent injuries. One study showed that in elderly men still active in sports 75% of injuries were located in the lower extremity. The purpose of this study is to trend sports related foot and ankle (SFA) injuries in patients 65 and over that presented emergency departments from 2009 to 2018. METHODS: Data was obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Injury data is obtained daily from the emergency departments of approximately 100 hospitals across the United States and its territories. This serves as a probability sample of over 5000 hospitals across the country. Each case recorded is given a statistical weight based on the study design. CPSC analysis has the ability to make adjustments to more accurately represent the entire United States population. Hospitals are group in five strata mostly based on hospital size and number of ED visits they receive per year. The database was set with query inputs of patients aged 65 and over that presented with sports related injuries of the lower leg, ankle, foot and toes from 2009 - 2018. RESULTS: An approximate total of 216,334 SFA injuries presented to emergency rooms in persons age 65 and over. Contusions/abrasions accounted for 11.7% of total injuries; lacerations (12.4%); fractures (20.9%); sprains and fractures (22.7%). Other types of injuries accounted for 32.3 %. There was an approximate total of 1,654,666 sports related injuries. Upper extremity had the highest percentage at 24.6%. Ages 65-69 accounted for 38.8 %. The trend for the SFA injuries increased 39.9% from 2009 to 2018, while the trend for overall sports injuries rose 83%. The percentage of SFA out of all sports injuries has decreased 23.6% from 14.81% of total sport injuries in 2009 to 11.32% in 2018. CONCLUSION: As the population ages, more seniors are remaining active and more are participating in sports. Thus, the increase in the number of sport related injuries. This increase however has outpaced the number of foot and ankle specific sport injuries. Over the time span of the study there has been an increase in percentage of hand, wrist and knee injuries. Further research is needed to delineated which specific sports and activities cause the most SFA injuries. This information can then be used to educate this population on injury prevention.