Because they are fun and good for them, parents often forget how dangerous sports can be for their kids. Each year about 2.7 million young athletes ages 5 to 24 go to the emergency room because of sports-related injuries, according to data from the . The most common — and alarming — diagnosis? Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which are caused by blows or jolts to the head and can disrupt the normal function of the brain. While TBIs can range from mild to severe, all should be taken seriously. The majority of TBIs are concussions, which is when the brain moves inside the skull and can even bang against the skull bone. This cerebral trauma can cause confusion, blurred vision, and memory loss. 

Team sports provide a wealth of emotional, social, and physical benefits for kids. And while there has historically been a gender gap in team sports participation, girls are closing the gap. In 2022, 35 percent of girls participated in team sports, up 1.5 percent since 2019, compared to 40 percent for boys, according to data from the .

To keep your young athlete safe, it’s important to provide her with the proper protective gear and teach her to follow game regulations in order to avoid TBI, concussions, and other serious injuries. These five team sports are the most likely to cause injury in young players.

  1. Soccer

    Future Martas and Alex Morgans should proceed with caution! In the 2020-2021 season, concussions totaled , twice the rate of concussions for boys. to help protect girls’ brains. No one under 11 years old, they now say, should engage in heading in either practice or games, and players in 12-U and 13-U programs should be limited to 15-20 headers per week. Concussions often occur from heading the ball, but they’re actually more likely to be sustained from collision with another player or the ground.

    Fractures, shin splints, ACL tears in the knee, shoulder dislocations, neck sprains, wrist sprains, and tendinitis are also common. How to prevent injuries? Proper strength conditioning, shoe gear, cleat length, warm-ups, cool-down, hydration, and pivot and jumping techniques are all .

  2. Cheerleading

    Here’s something not to cheer about: Cheerleading is the “most dangerous female sport.” In girls’ high school athletics, (skull fractures, cervical fractures, severe head injuries) occur in cheerleading. An identified the most dangerous stunts as the pyramid and basket toss. This number is particularly precarious when you learn that about and 57 percent of them are under the age of 12.

    Emergency room visits by cheerleaders has tripled since the mid-1980s, largely because of increasingly dangerous stunts without proper protection or spotting. says that cheerleading is more dangerous than gymnastics because the stunts are performed in a setting with less protection: football fields and basketball courts instead of matted and padded gymnastics facilities.

  3. Basketball

    Is your little girl shooting to be the next A’ja Wilson or Caitlin Clark? Almost , but it is falling in popularity. , but it has dropped to number four since then with 19 percent fewer girls participating.

    The for girls’ basketball is higher than for boys’ basketball, with ankles, knees, hands, wrists, and faces the most commonly injured body parts. Girls are almost twice as likely to suffer dislocations and concussions as boys.

  4. Horseback riding

    While trotting around a ring on horseback seems a graceful and even peaceful sport, there are grave risks. Most accidents occur from falling off a horse, which cause traumatic and serious injuries to the head and spinal-cord area and can result in paralysis. A by researchers at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley concluded that equestrian injury rates are higher than football, motor vehicle racing, or skiing. An suggests most injuries occur in young riders, with 20 percent of injuries occurring in the central nervous system, primarily concussions, skull fractures, and cerebral contusions.

    How can your daughter safely trot and gallop her steed? The issued multiple guidelines, including proper use of securely fitted helmets, saddles, stirrups, riding boots, protective vests, girth straps, and reins, and never riding horses with “unknown temperaments.”

  5. Field hockey

    About play high school field hockey in the U.S. Though field hockey players wear eye gear and mouth guards, this gear is insufficient for preventing injuries. have a 62 percent risk of sustaining three or more injuries, making it the sport mostly likely to have players sustain multiple injuries or reinjure themselves. Chronic injuries include lower-back pain; hip, knee, or ankle tendinitis; and stress fractures in the lower extremities. The majority of head and face injuries (90 percent) are a result of players being hit by a field hockey stick or ball.

Preventing injuries

To prevent sports injuries, follow the safety tips at . And always make sure your child wears proper protective gear, especially when she practices. Some 62 percent of sports-related injuries occur during practice, yet only one out of three parents reports taking game-day safety precautions for practice.

See the list of the 5 most dangerous sports for boys.