The sports that cause the most injuries to high school athletes (and football is not #1)



Peanut butter and jelly. Sports and injuries. Certain things just seem to go together. Unfortunately for many, the latter isn’t as welcome a combo as the lunchtime staple.

Not all sports and injuries are created equally, though. Contact-heavy sports, such as soccer and football, get the lion’s share of news coverage given the substantial, and often long-term, effects of repeated concussions. In particular, for high schoolers with still-developing brains, these sports can be quite dangerous.

However, all sports carry the risk for injury. From broken bones to pulled muscles, these types of injuries are par for the course in most athletic endeavours. Some sports simply cause more than others.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission not only collects data regarding general products, such as tools and toys, but they also collect data about sports injuries that cause trips to the emergency room. The experts at HealthGrove aggregated this data to find out which sports cause most injuries to high schoolers (athletes between the ages of 13-17).

It’s worth noting that in most cases, a popular sport will cause more injuries than a more obscure sport. Because this injury data does not show number of injuries per player, one should not assume that the higher ranking sports are inherently more dangerous — they may just be played more frequently and by more people.

HealthGrove broke down the injury data by gender, body part and diagnosis. As one might expect, football and soccer both rank in the top five, but neither is No. 1.

#20. Bowling


 



Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 764


     


      Most Common Body Part Injured: Finger
      Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

      #19. Rugby


       



      Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 1,214


         


          Most Common Body Part Injured: Head
          Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

          #18. Field Hockey


           



          Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 1,825


             


              Most Common Body Part Injured: Finger
              Most Common Diagnosis: Contusions, Abrasion

              #17. Tennis


               



              Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 1,915


                 


                  Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle
                  Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                  #16. Skiing


                   



                  Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 4,752


                     


                      Most Common Body Part Injured: Head
                      Most Common Diagnosis: Fracture

                      #15. Ice Skating


                       



                      Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 4,999


                         


                          Most Common Body Part Injured: Wrist
                          Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                          #14. Horseback Riding


                           



                          Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 5,581


                             


                              Most Common Body Part Injured: Head
                              Most Common Diagnosis: Contusions, Abrasion

                              #13. Lacrosse


                               



                              Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 5,830


                                 


                                  Most Common Body Part Injured: Head
                                  Most Common Diagnosis: Contusions, Abrasion

                                  #12. Track and Field


                                   



                                  Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 8,194


                                     


                                      Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle
                                      Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                      #11. Weight Lifting


                                       



                                      Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 8,921


                                         


                                          Most Common Body Part Injured: Finger
                                          Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                          #10. Snowboarding


                                           



                                          Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 9,608


                                             


                                              Most Common Body Part Injured: Wrist
                                              Most Common Diagnosis: Fracture

                                              #9. Ice Hockey


                                               



                                              Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 12,336


                                                 


                                                  Most Common Body Part Injured: Head
                                                  Most Common Diagnosis: Contusions, Abrasion

                                                  #8. Volleyball


                                                   



                                                  Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 14,304


                                                     


                                                      Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle
                                                      Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                                      #7. Softball


                                                       



                                                      Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 18,119


                                                         


                                                          Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle
                                                          Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                                          #6. Wrestling, Boxing, and Other Martial Arts


                                                           



                                                          Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 18,174


                                                             


                                                              Most Common Body Part Injured: Shoulder
                                                              Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                                              #5. Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Dance


                                                               



                                                              Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 22,671


                                                                 


                                                                  Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle
                                                                  Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                                                  #4. Baseball


                                                                   



                                                                  Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 27,208


                                                                     


                                                                      Most Common Body Part Injured: Face
                                                                      Most Common Diagnosis: Contusions, Abrasion

                                                                      #3. Soccer


                                                                       



                                                                      Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 45,475


                                                                         


                                                                          Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle
                                                                          Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                                                          #2. Football


                                                                           



                                                                          Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 118,886


                                                                             


                                                                              Most Common Body Part Injured: Finger
                                                                              Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

                                                                              #1. Basketball


                                                                               



                                                                              Average Injuries to 13-17 Year Olds per Year: 119,589


                                                                                 


                                                                                  Most Common Body Part Injured: Ankle
                                                                                  Most Common Diagnosis: Strain, Sprain

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