The NICA injury surveillance system: results from five years of student-athlete injury data

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association Injury Surveillance System was implemented in 2018 to characterize acute traumatic injuries and identify associated risk factors in interscholastic youth cross-country mountain bike racing in the United States. Designated reporters collected data weekly during the 2018–2022 seasons. Variables collected included demographic information, injury characteristics, and other associated factors. In 119,098 student-athlete years, there were 2,655 injury events (injury event proportion = 2.23%). The wrist/hand was the most common body part injured (23.2%), followed by head/brain (23.0%), and shoulder/clavicle (15.9%). Males experienced a higher proportion of upper limb injuries than females (57.6% and 49.6%, respectively; p < 0.001); females experienced a higher proportion of lower limb injuries than males (29.5% and 24.8%, respectively; p = 0.020). Injury event proportion decreased by 27% (p < 0.001) during the study period. Acute traumatic injuries are common but injury proportion is low. Most injuries are minor but serious injuries do occur, resulting in time-loss from riding.