Sports That Do Damage to Your Body

Sports are all fun and games until someone ends up hurt. Kids are very likely to get hurt while playing youth sports. However, it's a good idea for kids to play sports since they can lead to successful adults. To avoid unnecessary injuries know ahead of time the sports that do damage to your body. Common sports, such as basketball, baseball and football are very physical sports and can lead to terrible injuries if you're not smart and don't take the proper precautions before playing. You should do sports to improve your fitness, just be smart doing it.

Basketball

Basketball can do significant damage to your body. There have been 533,509 injuries since 2016 related to basketball, which makes it a significant risk. It's a fun sport to play but running on the court while dribbling a ball can be dangerous, leading to knee injuries, foot injuries and even brain injuries if the ball hits your head with enough speed and force.

Ice Hockey

In 2016, ice hockey was viewed as one the most dangerous sports since it can do some serious damage to your body. There were 12,336 people who were injured playing this sport that year alone, landing it on the list of sports that do damage to your body. The concept of skating on ice at fast velocities, all the while controlling a puck, increases the likelihood of injury. Also, in general, ice hockey players are aggressive and will be quick to punch someone or get into a fight during the game if roused. It's not uncommon to see ice hockey players slammed up against the glass fighting over an unfair call, or getting chippy when the referee's aren't looking.

Football

It wouldn't be an accurate list of dangerous sports without including possibly the biggest culprit: football. This activity comes with some serious bodily risk, to the tune of 420,581 injuries in 2016. It goes without saying that tackling someone and running into them at a fast speed can cause brain injuries as well as knee injuries, and more minor wrist sprains. You should play this sport if you have the passion since it's a great form of exercise and can prevent long-term illnesses, but make good decisions when playing.

Soccer

Soccer can do extensive damage to your body since you're running quickly and then kicking and sometimes, worst of all, hitting the ball with your head which can cause concussions. In 2016, there were 45,475 injuries caused while playing soccer, making it a significant risk. Some of the most common injuries are hamstring tears, shin splints, pulled or strained calf muscle, stress fractures, not to mention tendinitis, landing it on the list of sports that do damage to your body.

Swimming

Surprisingly, swimming can end up causing severe damage to your body. In 2016, there were 184,190 injuries related to swimming. This sport isn't a contact sport, but that doesn't make it without risk, and it can still do some damage to your body. Some common injuries received while swimming are swimmer's shoulder, knee injuries, hip, and back injuries. Though this sport is low impact, it's still important to be safe so as to steer clear of nagging injury.

Baseball

Baseball is a great sport to play but it's very physical and can be demanding. In 2016, there were 27,208 injuries related to baseball. There are a multitude of injuries you can get from this sport, such as shoulder injuries, knee injuries, muscle sprains, thrower's elbow and rotator cuff injuries. These injuries occur because of the pressure you put on your body while pitching, running and hitting. Not to mention the baseball is basically a weapon, making it one of the sports that do damage to your body.

Snowboarding

Snowboarding is fun and thrilling, but can cause do some deadly damage to your body. In 2016, there were 38, 630 injuries related to this sport. People often suffer from knee injuries, broken collar bones, concussions, spinal injuries, dislocated shoulders, wrist injuries, and ankle sprains. It's great to go snowboarding with friends and is a great activity to stay in shape, but you need to make sure you're safe at all times so as to avoid serious and potentially life-threatening injuries.

Softball

Softball is an exciting but very physical sport. In 2016, 100,010 people were injured while playing this sport, making it a dark horse contender on sports that do damage to your body. The most popular injuries people suffered from includes knee injuries, upper leg injuries, shoulder injuries and concussions. You can still enjoy this sport, but you need to be smart and extra careful to avoid injury while out on the ball field.

Wrestling

This extremely physical sport can cause critical damage to your body if you're not careful. In 2016, there were 42,633 injuries that resulted from wrestling. Common injuries include knee tears, shoulder strains, ankle tears, concussions, muscle pulls and broken bones. You can and have to be aggressive while competing this sport, but make sure to be smart, because this is one of the more serious sports that do damage to your body.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a favorite among many people since it allows you to stay in shape and show off your flexibility and talent. However, it is actually very dangerous and caused 36,001 injuries in 2016. Some popular injuries from this sport are wrist sprains, ACL injuries, plus foot and ankle injuries. When practicing gymnastics make sure to always warm up and stretch since it's a very physical sport, and avoid overworking your body to avoid unwanted injury.