The Effects of Sports Specialization and Injury Rates in Collegiate Athletes

BACKGROUND: Sport specialization has been thought to cause burnout, overuse injuries, and isolation within a pediatric population. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of sports specialization in collegiate athletes. METHODS: Twenty fourth-year athletes at The University of Akron (age 22.1 ±.72 yrs.) chose to participate in the study. Athletes were provided with a survey regarding high school sport participation, and informed consent was obtained to access their collegiate medical records. NExTT© database was used to collect data on the number of injuries each participant sustained while in collegiate athletics. The number of sports played in high school was then compared with the participants number of injuries throughout their collegiate career. RESULTS: Only 30% of participants specialized in high school. The injuries rates of those who specialized demonstrated no significant change from their counterparts who played multiple sports. CONCLUSION: Based on the results, sports specialization in high school does not significantly affect the rate of injury in collegiate athletics