August 30, 2024
Sports Causing Most Hospital Visits In America – Basketball & Football Lead The Way
By Kyle Coppola
Sports Causing Most Hospital Visits In America – Basketball & Football Lead The Way
When it comes to physical activity, sports are a fantastic way to stay fit, develop skills, and enjoy the thrill of competition. However, they also come with inherent risks. From high-impact collisions in contact sports to the repetitive strains of endurance activities, athletes of all levels frequently face injuries that can lead to emergency room visits.
A new study by personal injury experts at John Foy & Associates has identified the top ten sports in the US that lead to hospital visits. The study used official data from the Insurance Information Institute, which tracked the number of hospital admissions per sport for the duration of a year.
While Basketball places first on the list, Football places second on the list, with 265,747 people admitted to hospital due to football-related injuries. Children aged 5–14 make up more than half of this number, with 145,499 being admitted to hospital; this is due in part to their developing physical skills, less experience, and higher participation rates in youth sports leagues. Children in this age group are also more susceptible to fractures, sprains, and concussions due to their developing bones and muscles.
Basketball ranks first, with 313,924 people admitted to the hospital with basketball-related injuries. Common injuries include ankle sprains from sudden twists and turns and knee injuries such as ACL tears from abrupt changes in direction and jumps. People aged 15-24 sustained the most basketball related injuries which led to a hospital visit, with 143,773 in total.
Swimming ranks third, with 187,465 people admitted to hospital due to swimming-related injuries. Swimming-related injuries can be highly varied, such as shoulder impingement from repetitive overhead strokes and swimmer’s ear, an infection caused by water trapped in the ear canal.
Top 10 Sports Causing the Most Injuries by Age Groups
| Rank | Sport, Activity, or Equipment | Younger than 5 | 5-14 | 15-24 | 25-64 | 65 and Older | Total Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basketball | 1,216 | 109,696 | 143,773 | 57,413 | 1,825 | 313,924 |
| 2 | Football | 581 | 145,499 | 100,760 | 18,527 | 381 | 265,747 |
| 3 | Swimming | 21,893 | 80,356 | 28,091 | 43,604 | 13,521 | 187,465 |
| 4 | Soccer | 1,313 | 80,540 | 68,602 | 27,997 | 832 | 179,284 |
| 5 | Baseball, Softball | 2,560 | 61,336 | 39,981 | 29,232 | 3,765 | 136,874 |
| 6 | Trampolining | 32,186 | 70,400 | 10,805 | 9,366 | 257 | 123,014 |
| 7 | Skating (excl. In-line) | 356 | 31,816 | 14,117 | 28,278 | 1,938 | 76,505 |
| 8 | Lacrosse, Rugby, misc. ball games | 455 | 20,252 | 20,142 | 15,334 | 10,699 | 66,882 |
| 9 | Skiing & Snowboarding | 173 | 12,493 | 24,298 | 26,267 | 3,402 | 66,663 |
| 10 | Golf | 1,729 | 9,166 | 5,080 | 21,108 | 23,815 | 60,897 |
Soccer places fourth on the list, with 179,284 hospital admissions due to injuries sustained while playing soccer. Interestingly, 80,540 injuries were sustained by children aged 5–14, as opposed to 68,602 injuries by people aged 15–24. This may be because a large proportion of those above the age of 15 may have been treated by club physios instead of going to the hospital.
Baseball and Softball rank fifth, with 136,874 people admitted to the hospital with baseball and softball-related injuries. Common injuries include rotator cuff tears from repetitive throwing motions and hamstring strains from sudden sprinting and sliding.
Placing sixth is Trampolining, with 123,014 hospital admissions due to trampoline-related injuries. Most hospital admissions were for children younger than five and those aged 5-14, with 32,186 and 70,400 hospital admissions, respectively.
Skating (excluding in-line) ranks seventh, with 76,505 hospital admissions due to skating-related injuries. Common skating-related injuries include wrist fractures from falls and ankle sprains from improper landings or sudden twists.
Placing eighth are Lacrosse, Rugby & other miscellaneous ball games, with 66,882 hospital admissions relating to injuries sustained in these sports. The most common age categories for injuries associated with the sports mentioned above are 5-14-year-olds and 15-24-year-olds, with 20,252 and 20,142 admissions, respectively.
Ninth on the list are Skiing and Snowboarding, with 66,663 hospital admissions due to injuries sustained while skiing or snowboarding. A wide range of injuries can occur in this sport, but common occurrences include ACL tears from twisting falls and wrist fractures from trying to break falls with outstretched hands.
Rounding off the top ten is Golf, with 60,897 hospital admissions due to injuries relating to golf. The age group with the highest number of hospital admissions due to golfing injuries is the over-65s, with 23,815, the largest number of hospital visits across any sport for this demographic.
John Foy, spokesperson for John Foy & Associates, commented on the findings:
“While the activities listed in this study certainly provide many health benefits for those who partake, the data underscores the importance of prioritizing safety. This can be achieved through proper training techniques, wearing the right protective gear, and having qualified supervision readily available, especially at younger age groups.”
Info provided by John Foy & Associates – https://www.johnfoy.com/
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
