New Study: Youth Sports Injuries Always in Season

Visits to the emergency room for sports injuries in children between the ages of 5 and 18 years rose every year from 2001 to 2013, with three quarters of those injuries attributed to football, soccer, baseball, and basketball, according to new data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. All told, there were nearly half a million emergent injuries in 100 hospital emergency departments during the study period—translating to an estimated 16 million sports-related injuries across the country, according to the researchers. About one third of reported injuries were strains or sprains, though fractures and contusions were also common. Concussions increased from 2% to 4.6% of injuries. Given the growth of urgent care over that time period, it is incumbent on UC operators to ensure that school districts and families know that x-rays, stitches, and other relevant needs can often be met with less waiting time and at a lower cost than in the ED. The study was published in the journal Injury Prevention.