Football most common sport for youth injuries: report

Washington – Concussions and knee injuries are among the top causes of sports-related injuries among children and teen athletes, according to a new report from Safe Kids Worldwide.

The Game Changers report is based on data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

Of the 14 sports studied, football had the most injuries in 2011. Football also had the highest rate of concussions, followed by wresting and cheerleading, while ice hockey had the largest percentage of concussions, the report states.

The most common sports-related injuries were sprains and strains, fractures, contusions and concussions, according to the report. Concussions accounted for 163,000 – or 12 percent – of emergency department visits, followed by knee injuries at 10 percent.

Recommendations to reduce sports injuries include teaching youth injury prevention skills, having young athletes perform warm-up exercises and stretches, making sure they get enough rest, and urging them to speak up about injuries.