Treatment and Cost Characteristics of Athletic Training Services in Secondary Schools for Knee and Ankle Cases

Context The monetary costs of sport-related injuries are significant, but complexity in public and private payers and disparate injury-reporting systems create challenges in accurately estimating their economic impact. Few researchers have characterized the cost of athletic training services for sport-related injuries. Objective To describe the treatment and cost characteristics of high school athletic training services provided to student-athletes for knee and ankle cases. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Secondary schools. Patients or Other Participants High school student-athletes receiving athletic training services for knee and ankle cases. Main Outcome Measure(s) Treatment and costs characteristics of athletic training services provided to high school student-athletes for knee and ankle cases, including comparison of total cost of care by gender, sport, and injury severity outcome. Results Between 2014 and 2019, 219 knee and 400 ankle cases and their associated treatments were documented by athletic trainers in the National Athletic Treatment, Injury and Outcomes Network Surveillance Program. Therapeutic exercises and ankle strapping were the most commonly documented services. The median estimated total cost of care was $124.20 (interquartile range, $75.44–$231.64) per knee case and $148.58 (interquartile range, $27.00–$287.10) per ankle case. Median total cost of care varied across injury severity. Conclusions This study provides insights into the cost characteristics of high school athletic training services. Although costs were generally lower than previously reported, the findings highlight the worth of athletic training services in managing knee and ankle cases and underscore the need for improved documentation and cost data collection to further demonstrate the economic value of athletic training services.