Injury patterns in big ten conference football.

Background: In 1998, the National Collegiate Athletic Association legislated a decrease in the number of scrimmages and full-contact practices allowed during the spring season.

Hypothesis: A significantly increased risk of injury faced by the same player during the spring versus fall practice sessions does exist, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association regulations will not have the intended effect of reducing injury rates to equal or below those of the fall practice sessions.

Study Design: Retrospectively analyzed, descriptive study of prospectively collected injury surveillance data followed by a prospective, controlled, repeated-measures study after the rule change.