1. Sports Injuries and Safety Precautions
What are the dangers facing athletes and sporting enthusiasts?
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2. Danger on the Field
While elite athletes get paid large
sums of money for playing sports,
most athletes do it for little pay or
simply for a love of the game. For
those of us who don’t have a
medical staff waiting to treat us in
the locker room, we need to know
more about common injuries so we
can avoid them, and make sure that
our children are safe while playing
sports.

3. Which Sports Are Most Dangerous?
• Basketball – The highest number of
sports injuries in 2013 were from
basketball, according the Insurance
Information Institute.
• Football – In 2007, more than 920,000
football injuries of people age 18 and
under were treated in emergency
rooms.
• Cycling – Every year, over half a million
people with bicycle injuries are treated
in emergency rooms.
• Wrestling – In ages 12-17, 3 out of every
100 wrestlers are injured, a rate that
doubles in college.
• Winter Sports – In 2012, over 65,000
people were treated in emergency
rooms from injuries sustained while
snowboarding, snowmobiling and ice-
skating.

4. Common Sports Injuries
The majority of sports injuries include one of the following:
• Sprains/Strains
• Knee injuries
• Swollen muscles
• Achilles tendon injuries
• Fractures
• Dislocations
• Concussions

5. High School Sports Injuries
In a 2012-2013 study from the University of
Colorado Denver, the following statistics were
reported regarding high school sports injuries.
• Many sports injuries occur in practice.
• 58.5% of high school sports injuries occurred
between 1 to 2 hours into a practice session.
• Over half of high school football injuries
occurred while a player was tackling or being
tackled.
• 70% of boy’s high school soccer injuries and
64% of girl’s high school soccer injuries
suffered during games occurred in the
second half.
• Over half of boy’s high school basketball
injuries occur in the lane, both in offense and
defense.
• The majority of high school wrestling
injuries occurs in practice, not competition.

6. Dangers Facing Student-Athletes
An article from the Atlantic explored the
impact of injuries on student-athletes:
• Universities are not required to pay the
costs of an injury to a student-athlete.
• There is no NCAA provision stopping a
coach from revoking a player’s
scholarship after they sustain an injury.
• There are 20,718 college football
injuries every year, the most common
being knee injuries, which cost around
$11,000 for medical treatment.
• Since student-athletes aren’t considered
workers, they are not covered by
worker’s compensation insurance.
• A student-athlete’s injury can cost them
a scholarship, a professional career or
significant time lost.

7. Traumatic Brain Injuries
• The leading cause of death in
sports-related injuries is
traumatic brain injuries.
• The top 5 sports for number
of head injuries are cycling,
football, baseball/softball,
basketball and watersports.
• Some of the most common
symptoms of a brain injury are
headaches, poor motor
function, changes in sensory
perception, dizziness,
sensitivity to light, shortened
attention span and speech
difficulties.

8. • Always wear a helmet when playing
sports that require their use and
consider use of helmets or headgear
in all sporting activities if at all
possible.
• Never practice or play sports when
tired or sick.
• Regularly check playing grounds and
equipment for safety.
• Replace any damaged equipment,
especially safety equipment.
• New requirements in Maryland
require coaches to receive special
training to identify serious head
injuries.
• This website provides great resources
on sports safety for a variety of
different sports. Resources are
available for athletes, coaches,
healthcare providers and parents:
http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/sp
orts-injury-prevention.aspx
Head Injury Prevention Tips

9. • Most weather-related injuries are preventable, a fact that highlights the
need for awareness.
• Between 1995 and 2007, there were 31 high school football player deaths
due to heat injury.
• Our body’s ability to release heat and perspire prevents overheating.
Factors inhibiting this ability include humidity, dark clothing, sun exposure,
fitness level, acclimation to heat, age (young people more at risk),
dehydration, high body fat, fever and medications like stimulants and
diuretics.
• Extremities like toes or fingers are most susceptible to frostbite in cold
weather; frostbite can occur even in areas of the body that are covered.
• Hypothermia occurs when body temperature goes below 95 degrees.
• Shivering, then drowsiness, confusion, slurred speech, irregular heartbeat
and, eventually, loss of consciousness all occur during hypothermia.
Weather-related Sports Injuries

10. The High Costs of Injuries
Some typical medical costs for
common sports injuries:
• The estimated average cost of
a fractured leg was $3,403 for a
person age 25-40 and $4,700
for a person age 10-19.
• The estimated average cost of
a fractured arm was $7,666 for
a person age 25-40 and $2,900
for a person age 10-19.
• Dislocations were treated at an
average cost of $6,900 for a
person age 10-19 and $4,600
for a person age 25-40.

11. If you or a loved one has suffered a sports injury and you
need legal representation, Steven H. Heisler is here to help.
Mr. Heisler understands the effect of devastating injuries on
Maryland families.
Do You Need An Advocate?
www.theinjurylawyermd.com
Call him today at (877) 228-4878 for a no-cost consultation.