Almost 1 in 7 emergency room visits among youth playing sports is due to football

Sports-related injuries have received more attention because of increased awareness in recent years to serious conditions like traumatic brain injury, and new data find that football is responsible for the most sports-related visits to the emergency department among kids and young adults. Here’s more: 

• Overall trends: Between 2010-2016, there were roughly 2.7 million emergency department visits for sports injuries among those ages 5-24. 
• Type of sports: Football was responsible for about 14% of the injuries, followed by basketball, pedal cycling, and soccer. 
• Diagnoses: Sprains and strains or dislocations were the most common diagnosis, at 28%. The diagnoses were especially common among those aged 10 and older, while those ages 5-9 were most likely to have open wounds.