ATHLETIC INJURIES - THE STATISTICS
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"Nearly all of the causes of death in sport are influenced by the care [provided] in the first five to seven minutes." (Ref)
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"The risk of sports injuries for a student athlete is something that cannot be denied. Statistics reveal that 90 PERCENT of student athletes report some sort of sports-related injury. (5)(4)
54 PERCENT of student athletes report they have played while injured.(4)(3)
37 PERCENT of high school athletes say they have experienced sprains.
12 PERCENT report they have sustained concussions and head injuries from their time on the field.
In 2012 alone, 163,670 MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES were reported being seen in the emergency room for a concussion.(4)
But sports injuries aren’t the only thing that a student athlete needs to be aware of. Between 2008 and 2015, more than 300 SPORTS-RELATED DEATHS of young athletes occurred in America alone. We share these statistics not to scare you or discourage your passionate participation in sports. We share them so you can be a part of reversing this trend." (Ref) (#'ed Ref)
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There were as many as 50 sports-related deaths of young athletes in 2015, 25 in 2014, 32 in 2013, 33 in 2012, in 2011 and 40 in 2010.3
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A total of 7.8 million student athletes participated in sports during the 2014-2015 academic year, an increase of 11,389 from the previous year.1**
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Of those 7.8 million student athletes, 2.5 million participated in contact sports during the 2014-2015 academic year.
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In 2013, there were an estimated 1.35 million emergency room visits for injuries related to 14 commonly played sports in children ages 6-19.
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In total, approximately 46.5 million children play team sports each year in the U.S.2
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Sports injuries accounted for 20 percent of all injury-related emergency department visits for children ages 6-19.
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Among children, those ages 12-15 experience the highest rate of emergency room visits for concussion at 47 percent.
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Medical costs for sports injury emergency department visits exceed $935 million each year.
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Prevention of injury is critical because previous history is often a risk factor for future injury. Players with one or more previous injuries have two to three times greater risk of incident injury compared to those without previous injury.7
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In 2014-2015, 59.2 percent of injuries reported to an athletic trainer by high school athletes were sustained in competition, while the rest occurred during practice.8
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Up to 25 percent of public schools in the U.S. do not have a school nurse. 47 percent of schools fall short of the federally recommended nurse-to-student ratio, and fewer than half of U.S. public schools have a school nurse on site during all school hours every day.9
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96 percent of Americans feel it’s important for young athletes to be evaluated by a qualified health care professional before they begin playing sports. 10
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A total of 72 percent of children that are secondary school age play a sport, among these children 29 percent play year-round
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Athletes who only play one sport year round have a 50 percent increased risk of knee injuries and a greater overall injury risk.
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54 percent of athletes reported they have played while injured.71