The most common sports injuries

Sports activities helps teamwork, increase self-esteem, and improve health, but it's not all fun and just games. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are about 8.6 million recreation-related injuries each year, from broken hands in boxing to head trauma from an immediate fall. These injuries are rarely fatal, but can quickly turn a friendly match into a bloodbath. By analysing the millions of injuries and illnesses catalogued by the U.S. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System in 2018, we've identified the most common - and most unexpected - athlete injuries and illnesses, and compiled a collection of them.

Basketball

There are consequences for disguised breakdowns on the field. Hand fractures are common, but the real threat is footwork. Withdrawals and sudden stops cause 77,023 ankle sprains and 25,222 knee sprains each year. And watch out for flying elbows: basketball is the number one cause of eye injuries in athletes, with 2,638 injuries each year.

Bicycles

Bicycles are a great threat to your lower body. When riding long distances, the moulded bicycle saddle puts pressure on your muscles, bones and nerve endings. The seat can even puncture the rider in an accident; in one year alone, 1,419 people suffered intimate injuries, such as pelvic fractures and rectal penetrating wounds, while riding. Falling also puts two-wheeled riders in the lead for dental injuries.

American football

American football can cause 26,478 concussions each year. Although most symptoms disappear within a few weeks, some doctors are now concerned about the long-term effects of repeated trauma on cognition, memory, and emotional stability. 

Cheerleading 

In 12 months alone, cheerleading resulted in 3,225 head traumas and 2,354 concussions. Most were injuries sustained during stunts. Unlike other sports where injuries occur during competition, cheerleaders are usually injured while practicing difficult moves over and over again during training.

Playgrounds

Approximately 45,225 people were injured on playgrounds, mainly from falls from climbing frames. Falls from swings and slides caused thousands of head injuries, lacerations, and small arm fractures. Even in the backyard there is full of danger: In 2018, home trampolines caused 14,424 ankle sprains and 8,815 calf fractures.

Swimming

Acute otitis externa (swimming otitis externa) is not the only problem associated with swimming. Waders reported 70,435 ear injuries over the course of a year. These range from external ear canal fungal infections, in which fungus collects in contaminated water, to "surfer's ear," in which prolonged exposure to cold water causes bone growth in the ear canal. If left untreated, both diseases can cause permanent hearing damage.