Epidemiology of upper extremity football injures presenting to US emergency departments from 2013 to 2022.

Football continues to be one of the most popular sports in the United States. It is associated with a high rate of injuries, particularly to the upper extremity. Outside data on professional play, there is limited data on the epidemiologic trends of these injuries in other participant groups. The purpose of this study was to analyze the incidence and demographic trends of football related hand and finger injuries presenting the U.S. emergency departments from 2013 to 2022. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was queried for football related injuries to the hand and fingers over the 10-year study period. Demographics, injury characteristics, and injury location were analyzed. An Estimated 257,052 football related hand and finger injuries were reported. Finger injuries were more common than hand injuries. Most injuries were fractures. Males accounted for 89 % of cases with the 10-19 age group compromising 75.6 % of injuries. The most common injury settings were recreational sports venues (46.6%) and schools (19.6%). Injury incidence peaked in September and most commonly occurred on Mondays. These findings can inform clinician and coaches to guide injury prevention and return to play programs.