No parent wants to deny their children fun outdoor activities like football, skateboarding or bicycling. Still, many outside sports are dangerous. But which sports are more likely to cause injuries requiring urgent care?
Football
Even the NFL has recognized football is a dangerous sport. With children who are eager and feel impervious to pain, this sport may be even more dangerous. Concussions, broken bones and other bodily injuries can occur from impact or falls. Great Schools.org says approximately 389,000 children are treated at retail clinics or emergency rooms because of football injuries.
Bicycling
Whether your child is riding his bike in the neighborhood or is involved in organized bicycling, falls, bumps, or attempting stunts can cause all sorts of injuries. From broken bones, to head injuries, to cuts and scrapes, bicycling is always listed as a dangerous activity. If your child falls and experiences any sort of injury, it’s best to be prepared and do an Internet search on “urgent care near me” so you can seek immediate medical care.
Horseback Riding
This sport is becoming more popular as more stables pop up offering horseback riding lessons for children. Some children do so well they continue on with the sport to compete at shows. Still, from casual rides to sports competition, falls from horses are common. Horses are easily frightened and may jerk suddenly, causing the rider to fall. The plethora of injuries from a horse fall include, concussions, broken bones and bruises, scrapes and cuts.
Trampoline Play
For many years, parents have been cautious about buying backyard trampolines because they fear falls, especially if no one is watching. Trampolines are also used in schools to help kids train for a variety of sports. The best trampolines are those with safety features like a net that surrounds the trampoline and soft edges in case of falls. If your child does fall to the ground from a trampoline, they may break a bone, sustain a concussion or lose consciousness requiring you to head to one of the nearest urgent care locations or even emergency room.
Swimming
Many families have pools in their backyards. Most municipalities have laws requiring backyard pools to be surrounded by locked gates to prevent children from wandering into the pool and drowning. Even though we watch our children closely, each year there are many drownings and near-drownings from swimming activities. Children who compete in competitive swimming may push themselves too hard and become tired and weak causing them to gasp for air or sink. Swimming is a dangerous activity and must be supervised at all times. Other injuries like broken bones, scrapes and cuts can occur when children attempt risky stunts or tricks in the pool.
Skateboarding
Even with designated skateboarding parks and close monitoring of your child is still going to fall and get hurt while skateboarding. With just four wheels and a board and the high energy level of this sport, most children will experience falls. It’s natural for kids seeing experts attempt the very hardest of stunts to try them on their own. If your child is injured while skateboarding, seek out urgent care immediately.
These six dangerous sports activities should be monitored carefully. Parents, teachers and coaches should also have lengthy talks and give clear instructions before play begins. Prevent injuries by talking with your child so they understand the risks.
Jacob Anderson is a freelance journalist from Scottsdale, Arizona who writes for a variety of health and wellness blogs and periodicals.
