Medical needs at high school football games in milwaukee

To help clarify the medical needs at high school football games, injury and treatment data were recorded during medical coverage of 67 varsity games. Injury evaluations were performed on 11 1 athletes for 139 injuries. Sixty-four injuries resulted in the athlete not returning to complete the game and 8 injuries resulted in the athlete being unable to return to play for over 1 week. Contusions (26.6%), sprains (21.6%), strains (8.6%), and suspected fractures (8.6%) accounted for most of the injuries. The most common sites of injuries were the knee (14.4%), lower leg (13.7%), and ankle (1 1.5Oh). Icing and taping were the most common treatments provided. The frequency of injuries verifies the importance of qualified medical coverage at high school football games. The nature of most injuries indicates that besides having skills in basic emergency medicine, the medical personnel should be skilled in the management of acute soft tissue injuries.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1988;10(5):167-171.