It is difficult to collect uniform statistics on injuries in all sports. The data varies by professional and amateur levels, as well as by age and country. For example, in the US, cheerleading has been recognized as the most dangerous sport for women (1). And in Europe, according to insurance companies, the most dangerous sport is children's football (2). In China, the greatest number of injuries are recorded when playing basketball (3). We have collected ten of the most extreme mass sports, as well as data on the number of injuries and deaths in each (4), (5).
1. Skydiving
- Number of injuries: 170 per 100 thousand jumps (4).
- Most often affected are: legs, head, chest and pelvic area.
- Causes: landing error, incorrect body control.
This is the main type of air sport, which has varieties: tandem jump, aerial acrobatics with stunts and figures in free flight. Most of the injuries skydivers receive at the moment of landing. Half of them are in the lower limbs. Less often, the arms and shoulders suffer, the back, spine and head are at the bottom of the list of injuries to skydivers.
Fatal incidents are more common with experienced skydivers. However, this is still rare – for every 100 thousand jumps there are one fatal case (6). Contrary to popular belief, problems with the parachute had nothing to do with it. In the vast majority of cases, the athlete had at least one working canopy, and human error was to blame for the tragedy (4).
2. BASEJUMPING
- Number of injuries: 294 per 100 thousand jumps (4).
- Most often affected are: legs, spine, head.
- Reasons: error when using a wingsuit (a special wing suit).
A more extreme type of parachuting. BASE jumpers jump from the roofs of residential and industrial buildings. The height of the jump is noticeably lower than in skydiving – about 150 m. This is where the risks are associated: the probability of a fatal outcome in BASE jumping is almost ten times higher than the probability of such an outcome when jumping with a parachute. Most fatalities occur in the summer. Among the fatal factors are impacts with rocks or the ground due to incorrect calculation of the flight trajectory (4).
3. Rock climbing
- Number of injuries: 3 per 1000 hours of climbing (7).
- Most often affected are: body (stretches), fingers, forearms.
- Causes: falls, altitude sickness.
Rock climbing is an extreme sport that evolved from mountaineering and was included in the Olympic Games in 2016. (8). The main difference from the basic discipline is the difficulty of the ascent. The climber's path is cliffs with complex relief and steep cliffs. There is no unambiguous data on mortality. Fatalities occur from falls, as well as from altitude sickness associated with oxygen starvation (4).
4. Surfing
- Number of injuries: 3.5 per 1000 days (8).
- The most common ones are: damage to the skin and soft tissues, lacerations.
- Causes: hitting your own or someone else's board.
Surfing was included in the Olympic Games in 2020. The main risk of injury is not only related to depth, dangerous waves and coral reefs, but also to the presence of other surfers. The number of serious injuries is 2.2 per 1,000 surf days, or 0.26 per athlete. Almost half of the cases are due to a collision with another surfer or board.. Drowning deaths while surfing are rare (9). Factors that increase the risk include the timing of the tide.
5. Snowboarding
- Number of injuries: 2–4 per 1000 days (4).
- The most common ones are: fracture of the collarbone and wrist.
- Causes: falling on an outstretched arm.
Professional snowboarders are injured approximately three times more often than amateurs. The risk of death in snow sports is low. Non-traumatic causes of death include ischemic heart disease, hypothermia or a severe asthma attack. Less common, but typical for amateurs on the slopes, is the cause of death “death in a well”. This is a situation when a skier or snowboarder falls into a hole hidden by snow under a tree. It is almost impossible to get out of it on your own. (4).
6. Classes in the gym and on exercise machines
- Number of injuries: 4 For every 1000 hours of training (10), up to 19% of gym-goers get injured.
- The most common ones are: overexertion, bruises.
- The most dangerous equipment and exercises: free weights, group classes, treadmill.
Gym and exercise machine injuries are the leading cause of injuries among popular sports, according to statistics from the National Safety Council (2022 data) (11). Both amateur and professional track and field athletes suffer. Among the latter, up to 79% receive some kind of injury. According to NSC, the greatest number of injuries in sports halls are recorded among visitors aged 25–65.
One of the most dangerous exercise machines is the treadmill (both in the gym and at home) (12) The rate of injuries is 6.8 per 1,000 hours (13). Most often, people slip or fall. The reasons are different: too high speed, accidental trips due to a violation of proprioception (the body's ability to sense movement and location). The latter happens when a person is distracted and turns his head, for example, to talk to a neighbor.
7. Cycling
- Number of injuries: 100+ per 1000 people (14).
- The most common ones are: abrasions, lacerations, fractures, head injuries, concussions.
- Causes: speeding, lack of protection, hitting an opening car door (15).
Most often, cycling injuries occur in adults (25–65 years), in second place are children and teenagers (5–14 years) (5). According to European insurers, this is the second most dangerous sport for children (after football) (16).
Cyclists are more likely to experience pain in the neck, knees, groin, and buttocks. On average, cyclists' upper limbs are more often injured than their lower limbs. Most often, collarbones are broken in amateur cycling. Separate statistics are kept on fatal cases. Often, such incidents are caused by road accidents with a car. For example, in Europe in the first half of 2023, there were 2,151 accidents with injured cyclists, 89 people died (17).
8. Basketball
- Number of injuries: up to 1.6 million annually (3).
- The most common: ankle sprains, knee injuries, traumatic brain injuries.
- Causes: collision with an opponent and sports equipment – a shield or a ring.
Basketball is the first discipline on the list of the most dangerous sports, which is a team game. There are up to ten players on the court at the same time. This increases the risk of contact injuries. Most often, teenagers and middle-aged people get injured in the game (5). Professional basketball has its own statistics, and sudden death is not uncommon. The most common cause is a heart attack (18).
9. Football
- Number of injuries: 45 per 1000 hours (19).
- The most common ones are: ankle sprains, hip and knee injuries.
- Positions on the field: defenders and goalkeepers (20).
For each type (professional/amateur, female/male) have their own statistics. For example, in world football leagues a team can get about 50 injuries per season, that is, about two per player (20). According to some data, female football players are eight times more likely to suffer anterior cruciate ligament injuries than male football players. In amateur football, it is more common…
