Bowling Green State University guard Trey Thomas (1), right, and Bowling Green Falcons guard P.J. Edwards (4), left, play defense on Siena Heights guard Jonas Tester (2), center during the second half of a game on December 22, 2023 at the Stroh Center. A study has shown that basketball injuries lead to more hospital visits than football. (Scott W. Grau | Sentinel-Tribune file)
ATLANTA — A new study by personal injury experts at Atlanta-based John Foy & Associates has identified the top ten sports in the U.S. that led 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.
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..
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.
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.
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 130,014 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 and 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 66,633 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.
“While the activities listed in this study certainly provide many health benefits for those who partake, the data underscores the importance of prioritizing safety,” said ohn Foy, spokesperson for John Foy & Associates.
“This can be achieved through proper training techniques, wearing the right protective gear, and having qualified supervision readily available, especially at younger age groups.”
The sports leading to the most hospital visits in the U.S. was obtained by analyzing data from the National Safety Council, which considered sports injuries that occurred during 2022.
Any entries relating to nontraditional sports (i.e. going to the gym) or anything that involves using a powered vehicle (e.g. biking, scooters, ATVs) were removed from the rankings. The list was then reordered to determine the top ten sports leading to hospital visits in the U.S.
