Craniofacial injuries related to exercise and weightlifting most often occur in men and adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, according to a review published online March 14 in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

Rohan Mangal, from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database to examine trends, demographics, diagnoses, and patient dispositions among patients with emergency department visits for craniofacial injuries associated with exercise and weightlifting.

The researchers identified 582,972 craniofacial injuries related to exercise and weightlifting between 2013 and 2022. Overall, 55.7 percent of the cases occurred among men. From 2013 to 2022, there was a statistically significant 32.7 percent increase in annual incidence. The highest injury rate occurred among those aged 15 to 19 years. Head injuries were the most common (45 percent), followed by injuries to the face, neck, mouth, eye, and ear (26, 21, 4, 3, and 1 percent, respectively). Internal injury, laceration, contusions/abrasions, and strain/sprain were included as diagnoses (25.2, 24.8, 12.9, and 11.9 percent, respectively). Only 8.5 percent of patients required hospitalization.

“While exercise and weightlifting-related craniofacial injuries are impossible to avoid altogether, knowledge of their current trends allows for targeted prevention strategies for vulnerable subgroups,” the authors write.

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