How many sports concussions occur each year?
- It is estimated that as many as 3.8 million concussions occur in the USA per year during competitive sports and recreational activities; however, as many as 50% of the concussions may go unreported.1
- Sports and recreation-related concussions are a leading cause of TBI-related emergency department (ED) visits among children and teens.2
- Children and teens make up approxiamately 70% of all sports- and recreation-related concussion seen in the emergency department.2
- Children have the highest rate of emergency department visits for traumatic brain (TBI) injury of all age groups.2
In what sports are concussions most often reported?
- Concussions occur in all sports with the highest incidence in football, hockey, rugby, soccer and basketball. 1
- The largest number of sports and recreation related TBIs among males occurred during bicycling, football, and basketball.1
- Among females, the largest number of sports and recreation related TBIs occurred during bicycling, playground activities, and horseback riding.1
- Among all sex, grade, and racial/ethnic subgroups, the odds of reporting a concussion increased significantly with the number of sports teams on which students played.8
How many athletes are sustaining multiple concussions?
- 15% of students (approximately 2.5 million) reported having at least one concussion during the 12 months.10
- 6% (1 million) reported two or more concussions.10
- 69% of athletes with a possible concussion played with concussion symptoms.9
- 40% of those athletes said their coach was not aware they had a possible concussion.9
