Study Details Position-Specific NASCAR Injuries

If you have to treat patients who have been flying around curves at 200 miles an hour, it’s good to know what kind of pressures that activity puts on a body. Glenn Gaston, M.D., chief hand surgeon of the OrthoCarolina Hand Center, and William Heisel, PA, director of OrthoCarolina Motorsports, are announcing the results from an epidemiological study of position-specific injuries in National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR) drivers and pit crew.

“According to PubMed there have been 3, 953 studies on football injuries, 2, 699 on soccer, 1, 271 on baseball and 1, 111 studies on basketball injuries, ” said Dr. Gaston in the May 10, 2016 news release. Dr. Gaston, who also serves as hand consultant to Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing, added “Only five publications to date exist on motorsports injuries, none of which have concentrated on the epidemiology of upper extremities.”

“NASCAR as sport offers a unique opportunity for us to research as every team except one is located in our region, ” said Heisel, who oversees the OrthoCarolina Motorsports medical program and athlete care. “Our orthopedic group serves as the official team physicians for a majority of the starting cars at each race. Of the other 13 cars per race we see the overwhelming majority of their injuries as well but they do not necessarily have an official team physician.”

Asked about types of injuries they have seen, Dr. Gaston told OTW, “Over a 10 year span we encountered 118 upper extremity injuries involving the hand, wrist, and elbow that occurred during NASCAR related activities to drivers and pit crews members.”

“Changers accounted for 42% and lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) was the most common. Also TFCC [triangular fibrocartilage complex] tears (like the meniscus of the wrist) were common in them. Both of these make a lot of sense given the high torque resistance they encounter. Carriers had the second highest injury rate at 14%. Tennis elbow and crush injuries were common. Also they sustained a unique fracture known as a hamate hook fracture (wrist bone) that is more often seen in golfers who hit a fat shot or baseball players with a check swing. This is explained with how they place tires onto the car. Drivers had a high rate of fractures from crashes but also a very high rate of nerve related problems. Carpal tunnel from the vibration of the wheel was very common. Also, small nerve tumors in the fingers and forearm where contact with the wheel occurs were noted.”

“I think the hamate hook fractures in carriers, the vibration induced neuropathy in drivers, and the need for aggressive tennis elbow prophylactic exercises in changers are all novel findings that should be appreciated by medical persons caring for these patients.”