4. Soccer
Total ER Visits: 99,068
The World Cup has helped boost the popularity of the sport known as football to the rest of the world and soccer to Americans. Because of increased participation, doctors see an increase in soccer-related injuries. According to a study published by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 8.2 percent of all sports concussions occur while playing soccer.
Girls may be at a particularly high risk for soccer-related injuries. News reports have shown girls may suffer neurological injuries because their necks are not strong enough to “head” the ball. Female athletes are encouraged to learn how to head the ball properly to avoid injury and should do strength training exercises to avoid leg injuries, because teenaged girls who play soccer are more likely to suffer from torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in the knee than their male counterparts.
3. Baseball/Softball
Total ER Visits: 112, 577
According to a 2012 ESPN study, youth baseball is the most popular organized sport for athletes between the ages of 6 and 8 and is the second most popular organized sport (behind basketball) for young student athletes until high school.
Unlike other sports on this list, most of the injuries baseball players suffer are minor and affected upper extremities. According to a study published in the Journal of Athletic Training, injury rates for baseball are highest in the first month of the season and tend to drop off later.