Although fatalities rarely occur in sports, the number one cause of fatalities from sports-related injuries is brain injury. Approximately 21% of all traumatic brain injuries that are experienced by youths in the United States result from sports and recreational activities. A traumatic brain injury refers to a jolt, bolt, or penetration to the head that affects the brain’s ability to function normally. It usually happens when the head is violently hit or pierced by an object, and it can cause a wide range of symptoms, which can be mild or severe. A mild brain injury usually results in a temporal change in mental state, while a severe case can lead to unconsciousness or coma, or even fatality.

In 2009, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted research on brain injuries that were related to sports products, and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons used data from the research to conduct a study of its own. The study revealed that 446,788 sports-related brain injuries were treated in emergency rooms of US hospitals in the year 2009, which represented an increase of close to 95,000 cases from the previous year. The types of sports activities that cause the most number of brain injuries among youths aged 14 and below include cycling (40,272 cases), football (21,878), baseball and softball (18,246), basketball (14,952), skateboards and scooters (14,783), water sports (12,843), soccer (8,392), powered recreational vehicles (6,818), winter sports (6,750), and trampolines (5,025). Below is more detailed information about the occurrences of brain injuries in specific sports:

Boxing

On average, the force that is created by a punch from a professional boxer is about 52 Gs, which is equivalent to the force created by a 13-pound bowling ball rolling at a speed of 20 miles per hour. As such, boxing can lead to brain damage symptoms such as memory loss, speech difficulty, unsteadiness, stiffness, inappropriate behavior, and others. According to a study conducted by the Journal of Combative Sport, there were 421 boxing-related deaths from 1960 to 2007 and 80% of these deaths were caused by head and neck injuries.

Cheerleading

Cheerleaders have been performing more difficult acrobatic stunts in recent years, and they are exposed to greater risk of head injuries. A significant number of cheerleaders had fractured their skulls and suffered from concussion, and several have even lost their lives. The Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Research Institute conducted a study on cheerleading-related head injuries in 2009, and the study showed that approximately 96% of reported cheerleading-related closed-head injuries and concussions resulted from cheerleading stunts.

Cycling

Close to 85,000 cyclists suffered head injuries in the year 2009, and about 400 cyclists die from brain injuries every year. Up to 85% of cycling-related head injuries can be prevented with the use of helmets that are approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), SNELL, or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). According to Safe Kids USA, approximately 52% of youths aged 5 to 14 do their cycling activities without using a bicycle helmet. Also, children who wear ill-fitting helmets are twice as susceptible to head injuries as those whose helmets fit perfectly.

Football

The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research conducted a study on football-related head injuries, and the results showed that about 300,000 cases of football-related concussion occur in the US every year. In 2009, there were 9 head injuries among high school football players that resulted in incomplete recovery. Football is a very physical sport, and it exposes players to significant risk of brain injury, skull fracture, concussion, coma, and fatality. The National Football League (NFL) had imposed new rules in 2010 to reduce the occurrences of head injuries, one of which is that the game will be stopped immediately when players lose their helmets.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Severe head trauma makes up approximately 15% of all injuries that occur during skiing and snowboarding, and it is the number one cause of severe disabilities and fatalities resulting from these sports. To lower the rate of skiing and snowboarding-related injuries, Aspen ski resorts have made it compulsory for children under 12 years old to wear helmets, and other ski resorts around the country are following suit.

Head Injury Prevention

For sports that require helmets or other headgear, parents should make sure that their children wear headgear that is approved by ASTM. ASTM-approved headgear offers maximum protection against head injuries, and they come with an ASTM sticker. Also, children should wear helmets that fit perfectly.

Younger children should be given proper supervision during sports activities and they should not play sports and use equipment that is only suitable for older kids or adults. When playing in the swimming pools or water parks, children have to be told to follow rules, and they must not dive into water that is shallower than 12 feet. Kids who are skateboarding, rollerblading, or cycling have to learn to obey traffic rules, and they should avoid unpaved or uneven surfaces.

Also, parents can prevent sports-related head injuries by making sure that their children’s clothes do not interfere with their vision, and they should make a point to replace all protective gear and equipment that is damaged. Finally, children should not participate in sports activities when they are tired or ill.