Severe Injuries for Boys and Girls Playing High School Sports

A recent study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine looking at the severity of injuries in high school sports has found that some are more dangerous than others. Boys’ football had the highest rate of severe injuries, followed by boys’ wrestling, girls’ basketball and girls’ soccer. The study also found that in sports played by both boys and girls, such as soccer, basketball and baseball/softball, girls were more likely to sustain a serious injury than boys.

For the study, researchers led by Dawn Comstock, an assistant professor at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, looked at sports injuries at 100 high schools from 2005 to 2007. Researchers looked at nine sports, including boys’ wrestling, football and baseball, girls’ softball and volleyball, and boys’ and girls’ basketball and soccer.

They found that almost 15 percent of these sports injuries were severe enough to keep the student from playing for at least three weeks. Researchers also determine that 30 percent of severe high school sports injuries involved the knee, while 12.3 percent occurred to the ankle and 10.9 percent involved the shoulder. The study found that about 5 percent of severe injuries in high school sports were caused by illegal actions of another player, such as tripping.

According to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), a national organization of orthopaedic surgeons devoted to sports medicine, kids in the U.S. experience about 2 million injuries related to sports. These sports injuries could result in damage to the brain or other parts of the body, so it is important to be seen by a doctor immediately if an injury is incurred. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured, call or e-mail the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for your free case evaluation. We serve clients with Bronx personal injury, Brooklyn personal injury, Queens personal injury and Long Island personal injury cases.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net