CALGARY, Alberta, July 17 (UPI) -- A Canadian rodeo researcher is creating an international registry to record catastrophic injury to cowboys.
The information could eventually lead to an international center for rodeo research excellence that would pull together education of cowboys, healthcare professionals and clinicians, according to University of Calgary sports epidemiologist Dale Butterwick.
"As of today, anyone, anywhere in the world can access this database and report a catastrophic injury," Butterwick said in a statement.
"By catastrophic we mean life-changing, losing a major organ, paralysis, even death. We need to know how these injuries occur and how often before we can meaningfully look for interventions."
Once a catastrophic injury has occurred, Butterwick and a team of epidemiologists from the Cowboy's Professional Rodeo Association and the University of Calgary faculty of kinesiology will investigate the report to fully understand how the injury occurred and what might be done to prevent it in the future.
Butterwick said he hopes this information it will lead to increased safety for rodeo athletes and that the data will enhance support for research into rodeo injury prevention.
