Context: Little is known about the frequency and nature of collegiate rodeo because few studies, have focused on the college rodeo population. In addition, most college rodeo athletes do not have medical professionals, like athletic trainers (ATs), readily available to provide care. The lack of available medical professionals can leave athletes to make their own participation decisions when injured and may affect athletic performance and the health of the college athlete.. Therefore, more research is needed regarding the types of injuries occurring in college rodeo and the available healthcare. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the frequency and nature of both time loss (TL) and non-time loss (NTL) injuries in men’s and women’s collegiate rodeo. Design: Descriptive Epidemiology. Setting: Eleven National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) member institutions across the United States. Participants: There were 264 male and female college athletes who competed in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA). Main Outcome Measure: Injuries and athlete exposures (AE) from practices and competititions during one college rodeo season were analyzed. Injury rates and rate ratios were reported for time loss and non-time loss injuries with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Frequencies and proportions for type of injury, injury location, and injury severity were also reported. Results: Athletic trainers reported a total of 98 TL and NTL injuries and 23122 AEs, with one athlete receiving a repeat MCL sprain, resulting in an injury rate of 4.24/1,000 athlete-exposures. TL and NTL injury rates were 2.47/1,000 AE and 1.77/1,000 AE, respectively. Males accounted for more injuries than females. More injuries occurred in practices than competitions. The injury rate was higher in competition than practice. The bull riding event had the most AT reported injuries. The most AT reported injuries were sprains, strains, and contusions. Conclusions: TL injuries accounted for more injuries than NTL injuries. The TL injury rate was higher than the NTL injury rate, but not significantly. Male athletes had a higher injury rate than females, and may be attributed to male athletes competing in rough stock events. More research with college rodeo is needed to illustrate how frequent injuries occur and the need for available healthcare for college rodeo athletes.
