Sports & Recreation

Brain Injury & Sports & Recreation

Brain injury is the leading cause of sports-related death. [CDC]

65 percent of all sports-related brain injuries treated annually occurs in people ages five to 18. [CDC]

Approximately 208,000 patients with sports or recreation-related brain injuries are treated in emergency departments each year. [CDC]

Activities associated with the greatest number of such emergency room visits are bicycling, football, playground activities, basketball, horseback riding and riding all-terrain vehicles. [CDC]

It is estimated that less than 13 percent of sport-treated brain injuries are seen in the emergency room. [CDC]

Injuries associated with sports and recreational activities account for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States. [SK]

Concussions are on the rise among high school athletes. [JAT]

Girls have higher concussion rates than boys in sports played by both sexes. [JAT]

References:

• Safe Kids Worldwide [SK]
• Centers for Disease Control [CDC]
• Brain Injury Association [BIA]
• Journal of Athletic Training [JAT]