Sports Injury Statistics
How
frequently do sports injuries occur?
In the U.S., about 30 million
children and teens participate in some form of organized sports, and more than
3.5 million injuries each year, which cause some loss of time of participation,
are experienced by the participants. Almost one-third of all injuries incurred
in childhood are sports-related injuries. By far, the most common injuries are
sprains and strains.
Obviously, some sports are more
dangerous than others. For example, contact sports such as football can be
expected to result in a higher number of injuries than a noncontact sport such
as swimming. However, all types of sports have a potential for injury, whether
from the trauma of contact with other players or from overuse or misuse of a
body part.
The following statistics are from the
National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics:
Injury
rates:
·
More than 3.5 million children ages
14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in
recreational activities.
·
Although death from a sports injury
is rare, the leading cause of death from a sports-related injury is a brain
injury.
·
Sports and recreational activities
contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among
American children.
·
Almost 50 percent of head injuries
sustained in sports or recreational activities occur during bicycling,
skateboarding, or skating incidents.
·
More than 775,000 children, ages 14
and younger, are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related
injuries each year. Most of the injuries occurred as a result of falls, being
struck by an object, collisions, and overexertion during unorganized or
informal sports activities.
Where
and when:
·
Playground, sports, and
bicycle-related injuries occur most often among children between ages
5 and 14 years old.
·
The highest rates of injury occur in
sports that involve contact and collisions.
·
More severe injuries occur during
individual sports and recreational activities.
·
Most organized sports-related
injuries (62 percent) occur during practice.
Types
of sports and recreational activities
Consider these estimated injury
statistics for 2009 from the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
·
Basketball. More than 170,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital
emergency rooms for basketball-related injuries.
·
Baseball
and softball. Nearly 110,000 children ages 5
to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for baseball-related injuries.
Baseball also has the highest fatality rate among sports for children ages 5 to
14, with three to four children dying from baseball injuries each year.
·
Bicycling. More than 200,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital
emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.
·
Football. Almost 215,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital
emergency rooms for football-related injuries.
·
Ice
hockey. More than 20,000 children ages
5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for ice hockey-related
injuries.
·
In-line
and roller skating. More than 47,000 children ages
5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for in-line skating-related
injuries.
·
Skateboarding. More than 66,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital
emergency rooms for skateboarding-related injuries.
·
Sledding
or toboggan. More than 16,000 children ages
5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for sledding-related injuries.
·
Snow
skiing or snowboarding. More
than 25,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for
snow boarding and snow skiing-related injuries.
·
Soccer. About 88,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital
emergency rooms for soccer-related injuries.
·
Trampolines. About 65,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital
emergency rooms for trampoline-related injuries.
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