STUDY: PREP SPORTS INJURIES DOWN DUE TO GEAR, MEDICINE.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- High school football doesn't always seem so safe when the best player gets injured, but prep sports injury rates in the United States have dropped by more than half in the past decade, researchers recently reported.

In a review of nine major sports, all except volleyball had injury rates that were at least two times higher in the mid-1990s than during the 2005-06 school year, said Dawn Comstock, a researcher at Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio and lead author of the study.

Researchers said the drop likely reflected improved equipment and other advances.

``Too often it's believed sports injuries are unavoidable. We know that's not true,'' she said.

The study was released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even if injuries aren't as frequent, when they do happen, it doesn't just affect the athlete but the coaches, too, according to Canyon High football coach Harry Welch.

``A few years ago, we just had a rash of injuries, and it was starting to drive me crazy because as a coach I feel responsible if a player gets hurt,'' Welch said. ``We're the ones who put kids in harm's way on the football field.''

Canyon offensive lineman Marc Valdez is back in the starting lineup after suffering a severe knee injury last season. One of the Foothill League's top players, Valdez never considered not returning as soon as he could -- and neither did his parents.

And sometimes that determination can help heal an injury faster than anything.

``Marc would never not play football. It's his passion,'' said his mother, Gina. ``It's been that way since he was a little boy watching the Dallas Cowboys with me on TV -- they were my favorite team. When he got hurt, he just dealt with the situation and came back as soon as he could.''

A previous study comparing national high school injury rates for different sports was published in 1999. It looked at 1995-97 injury rates for 10 sports at more than 200 high schools.

Comstock's group looked at injury rates for nine sports at 100 high schools in the 2005-06 academic year. The sports studied were football, wrestling, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball, girls' volleyball, boys' baseball and girls' softball.

Nationally, about 4.2 million high school students participated in the sports during the academic year studied, and an estimated 1.4 million injuries occurred.

Football had the highest injury rate, according to both the Comstock and 1999 study.

In the Comstock study, the overall football injury rate was 4.36 per 1,000 -- meaning a high school football player who participates in 1,000 games and practices can expect 4.36 injuries.

A girls' softball player, in contrast, can expect 1.13 per 1,000 games. In the 1999 study, the football injury rate was 8.1 and the girls' softball rate 3.5.

Devin Mills, a former Hart offensive lineman who helped the Indians to a 2003 section title, suffered a broken ankle as a high school freshman and a broken thumb as a senior.

He missed his entire freshman season, but stuck it out during his senior year by wearing a cast during games.

``It was tough as a parent to see Devin sit through a whole year because he really wanted to get back out there,'' said his father David. ``I played hockey as a kid and kept injuring my hip. Eventually, my doctor told me if I kept playing, I'd pay for it later when I got older.

``Devin always wanted to play and always wanted to get back out there. He was one of the biggest, strongest players on the team, but by the end I think he was tired of getting beat up, and that's one of the reasons he hasn't played in college.''

Comstock's group defined an injury as a problem that required medical attention and restricted an athlete's participation in sports at least one day beyond the day the player got hurt.

In the 1999 study, injuries that did not keep an athlete off the field were not included.

Comstock said that might explain some of the reported drop-off in injuries. But she said she believes the rates still would have dropped significantly if injuries had been defined the same way in the two studies.

Much of the decline probably stems from rule changes, better safety gear and improvements in injury diagnosis and treatment, Comstock and others said.

Scientific advances, for example, have improved the diagnosis of a concussion. Rule changes have increased water breaks, which in turn have decreased heat-related illnesses. Eye protection in stick sports like lacrosse has reduced serious injuries.

Both studies gathered data only from schools with certified athletic trainers who have medical training. An estimated 42 percent of U.S. high schools have certified trainers.

Many of the area's top football players who've been injured in recent years have come back sooner than expected, thanks to expert medical advice and a willingness to work hard.

Former Hart star receiver Ryan Wolfe came back from a serious knee injury two years ago, eventually earning a scholarship to UNLV.

Canyon linebacker Tyler Hawkins fractured his leg three years ago, but eventually returned and keyed a section championship season as a senior last year.

But worrying about whether a player will get hurt will take the fun out of sports, according to Saugus defensive back Kyle Monson, who suffered a concussion last year but has otherwise enjoyed a healthy career.

``I think you worry more that if you do get hurt then you're not going to be able to play as well,'' Monson said. ``For me, getting injured would take away some personal pride and break down my confidence. If you're playing with a bad knee, you can't cover a guy as well, but I've been playing for 10 years and don't worry about it.''

Brandon Arndt, a Hart defensive back, agreed.

``There's always that risk but you just can't think about getting hurt,'' Arndt said. ``I broke my ankle playing football when I was a kid, but it wasn't a big deal because I've been playing dangerous sports all my life. I used to race bikes in motocross, and that's even more brutal than football.''

Poorer schools may also have worse field conditions and equipment that result in higher injury rates, said Steve Marshall, a sports injury epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina.

That's not a problem in Santa Clarita, where football -- as well as other sports -- is a high priority, and so is medical care for the athletes.

``The medical care today is the best I've seen by far,'' Welch said. ``On the sidelines, we have two trainers, two chiropractors and an orthopedic surgeon. Not only is there better medical care but there's also better followup and better rehab. We have top-of-the-line rehab programs that compare to a Division I university.''

Marshall praised the Comstock study and said it will probably become a standard reference for high school sports injury rates.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews

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