Brain Injuries in Sports
Motor vehicle accidents and falls are responsible for significantly more head and brain injuries than sports participation, yet the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 1.6 to 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries occur each year as a result of sports and recreation activities. Approximately 320,000 of these injuries lead to hospital emergency room visits, and a very small percentage result in death.
Statistical studies have examined the prevalence and nature of sports-related brain injuries, and the results are probably not what you would have expected.
Percentage of Head Injuries by Sport
The Consumer Product Safety Commission compiles statistics on head injuries seen in hospital emergency rooms categorized by sport. Its data uncovers some surprising facts:
- Cycling accidents are the leading cause of head injuries, leading to twice as many hospital visits compared to the leading organized sport, football.
- Head injuries from recreational or off-road vehicle activities (such as mini-bikes, ATVs, dune buggies, and go-carts) surpass all organized sports except football.
- The number of basketball and baseball head injuries each exceed head injuries from playing soccer.
- Head injuries are more common in golf than in hockey.
Children’s Head Injuries in Sports
The same Consumer Product Safety Commission study also categorizes sports-related head injuries for children 14 and younger. In this population the data changes slightly, with bicycle accidents now accounting for almost three times the number of injuries as any other single sport.
To learn of the risks involved, continue to the next page.
Read the rest of the article: 1 2
Comments
1 Comment so far
Thanks for submitting this article to the first edition of the Modern Families Blog Carnival.