The commonest causes of head and neck injuries as a function of players’ sex, age, and diagnosis of injury
| Group | Commonest cause of injury | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk factor | ||||||
| Location of incident on pitch | Possession status prior to challenge | Direction of challenge | Mode of challenge | Action during challenge | Intent | |
| Sex | ||||||
| Men | Defensive outfield | Free ball | From the side | Jumping | Use of upper extremity | Fair challenge |
| Women | Defensive outfield | Free ball | From the front | Jumping | Use of head | Fair challenge |
| Tournaments for players aged: | ||||||
| ⩽20 years | Attacking outfield | Free ball | From the side | Jumping | Use of upper extremity | Fair challenge |
| >20 years | Defensive outfield | Free ball | From the side | Jumping | Use of head | Fair challenge |
| Injury diagnosis | ||||||
| Concussion | Attacking outfield | Free ball | From the front | Jumping | Use of head | Fair challenge |
| Contusion | Attacking outfield | Free ball | From the side | Jumping | Use of upper extremity | Fair challenge |
| Laceration/abrasion | Defensive outfield | Free ball | From the side | Jumping | Use of head or upper extremity | Fair challenge |