Being active is definitely a good thing, but when you get hurt, it is no longer that good. You may not stop playing sports because it has a high number of injuries, but this list may make you reconsider what sports you pursue. Here are the three sports with the highest injuries.
Basketball
This one is a bit of a shocker, but according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, basketball has the highest number of injuries of any sport. Played on those slippery floors without any sort of protection, it is very easy for a player to sprain or break an ankle while landing from a jump shot. Players often bang into one another, causing pain they didn’t want to cause.
Football
This one isn’t much a surprise, with the aggressiveness that is seen in this sport and it comes in as the #2 sport with the highest injuries. Fortunately for many football players, the number of injuries have gone down dramatically since helmets have been better designed to prevent head injuries. But, there are many instances of football players with life-long head and spinal injuries. While basketball takes the first place for the number of injuries, football takes the cake for the severity of injuries.
Bicycling
A leisurely-ride in the park is probably not going to induce many injuries, but road riding is definitely not the safest sport out there. The biggest danger is being hit by a car, which can be very serious, but also colliding with another rider or simply crashing the bike. Wearing a helmet and having a bike that is well-maintained is going to help prevent injuries or reduce their severity.
Exercising and keeping in shape is important for all people – as long as it is done safely. Don’t stop doing the sports you love for fear of an injury. Even if you are already injured, there are low-impact sports that you can switch to to keep your body moving.
While sports injuries are definitely something should be looked at immediately, athletes often also have pain that they simply ignore and get worse, usually caused by a past injury. In the Fox Valley, it is best to see a specialist that can help with these injuries with help from orthopedics or other devices that let the body heal as it should.
For new, acute injuries that require immediate attention, OSI now offers a Walk-In Clinic at its Appleton location.
If you have been dealing with a nagging injury that is not improving, consider requesting a consultation with one of the orthopedic specialists at the Orthopedic & Sports Institute (OSI). Please call (920) 560-1000 or request an appointment online.
The Orthopedic & Sports Institute has convenient locations to serve you. In addition to the flagship facility in Appleton, you will find outreach clinics in New London, Ripon, Shawano, Waupaca, and the newest location serving the Green Bay area, inside the NOVO Health Clinic in De Pere.
OSI is a proud member of NOVO Health.