Sports Related Kids Injuries – Know the Stats

by Marian Nguyen, RN, BSN | Jan 30, 2019 | Family Safety and Preparedness, First Aid/Health, Safety & First Aid

It’s been common knowledge for years that one of the best activities for children is playing some form of sports. Between the lessons learned about teamwork, commitment and resolve as well as the benefits of exercise, it’s easy to see why 30 million children and teens participate in sports every year.

Unfortunately, that also leads to a very high rate of injury among these children and teens. When you hear about the horrific injuries that pile up in professional sports, you must realize that 40% of all sports-related injuries happen to children between 5 and 14 years old.

Here are more stats that put the problem of kids’ sports related injuries into perspective:

1. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over half of all sports related injuries could have been prevented. This underscores the need for children to wear proper protective gear and to be careful when practicing or playing a sport.

2. Sports contribute to almost a quarter (21%) of children’s traumatic brain injuries. Some of the worst offenders are recreational activities such as biking and skateboarding. However, other contact sports such as football, basketball, hockey, and soccer also have issues with concussions.

In the case of biking and skateboarding, children should always wear safety head gear. In other sports, schools need concussion policies in place for the diagnosis and treatment of this condition so that injured students aren’t put in harm’s way by playing hurt.

3. In one year, there were 1.35 million emergency room visits for children all stemming from just 14 sports. What makes this especially problematic is the fact that these are ER visits, which are generally more expensive for those dealing with insurance payments.

But also, many times parents don’t follow up with treatment because they think the problem has been taken care of by the ER physician. Often the ER doctor is just getting the child stabilized and out of the “danger zone” and full treatment requires attention from the child’s regular doctor.

4. The three biggest injury offenders are football (215,000), biking (200,000) and basketball (170,000). However, trampoline accidents accounted for 65,000 injuries to children each year. This shows that sports activities at home can also be the cause of injuries to children as well.

Look, we all want to take care of our children and as much as we want to, you can’t wrap them up in bubble wrap and protect them from the world until they’re 18. You must let them go out and experience the world and if you don’t let them take part in sports activities, you’ll seriously hinder the physical and social development.

However, you must consider if contact sports are the right option for your child and in all situations, you need to ensure your child is protected with the right gear and gets the right treatment if they are injured.

Stay Prepared for Life’s Sports Accidents

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