Ball Sports (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), N.s.
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports Protective Equipment & Gear · CPSC Code 3236
Down 55% over 5 years
The verdict
Ball Sports (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), N.s. carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 10,582 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 55% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 10,582
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.7%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 3236 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s. - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume10,582 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.7%
- Fatality rate0.02%
- 5-year trend-55%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Ball Sports (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), N.s. (CPSC product code 3236, in the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear category) generate an estimated 10,582 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 211,643 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 55% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2006 (18,904 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (2,147 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s. is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 18,487 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by fracture to the finger (16,833 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 109,388 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.7% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.02%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s. fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 8,190 | 3,361 | |
| 5-14 | 67,368 | 42,020 | |
| 15-24 | 31,895 | 12,959 | |
| 25-34 | 10,697 | 6,331 | |
| 35-44 | 7,983 | 4,487 | |
| 45-54 | 5,560 | 1,906 | |
| 55-64 | 2,463 | 1,259 | |
| 65-74 | 1,757 | 1,626 | |
| 75+ | 806 | 980 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Shoulder | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Foot | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
12YOM PRESENT TO ED W/ R PINKY PX/SWELLING.PT WAS PLAYING A BALL GAME CAUGHT R PINKY ONBALL VS JAMMED AGAINST WALL.STARTED SWELLING. NO OTHER INJURIES.RHDDX:FINGER INJURY,R
19YOM PRESENT TO ED FOR R HAND INJURY.PT WAS GOING AFTER A BALL FELL LANDING ON R HAND.OBVIOUS DEFORMITY TO FINGER.NO OPENNESS,LAC,INJURIES ELSEWHEREDX:DISLOCATION OF FINGER;VOLAR PLATE INJURY OF INTERPHALANGEAL FINGER JOINT
5YOM C/O FACIAL INJURY. PATIENT WAS LEANING ON BATTING CAGE FENCE WHEN A BALL HIT HIM IN THE FACE. MODERATE SWELLING AND ECCHYMOSIS OVER THE BRIDGE OF NOSE AND LOWER FOREHEAD. CONTUSIONS NOTED TO FOREHEAD AND NOSE. RADIOGRAPHS INDICATE NO APPRECIABLE FACIAL FRACTURE. DX: INJURY OF FACE
11 YOM INJURED GROIN PLAYING BALL DX: PAIN
31 YOF WAS PLAYING BALL WITH HER CHILD AT HOME AND TWISTED ANKLE DX SPRAINED ANKLE
11YOF TRIPPED OVER A BALL AT SCHOOL AND INJURED LEFT ANKLE.DX: LEFT ANKLE SPRAIN
17YOF FOR EVAL OF R ANKLE PAIN. SHE WAS IN GYM CLASS TODAY JUMPING UP FOR A BALL, WHEN SHE CAME DOWN SHE INVERTED HER ANKLE. SHE SAID THAT SHE HEARD A POP. DX: ANKLE SPRAIN
12YOF HURT HER FINGER WHILE PLAYING N/S BALL, HIT ANOTHER PLAYERS KNEE.DX: DISLOCATED INTERPHALANGEAL JOINT RIGHT LITTLE FINGER.
9YOF-PATIENT REPORTS SHE WAS RUNNING AT SCHOOL TO GET A BALL WHEN SHE TRIPPED AND HIT HER HEAD ON THE WALL DURING PE CLASS. DX: HEAD INJURY
28 YOF INTO ER WITH A HEAD INJURY. PATIENT WAS AT A BIRTHDAY PARTY WHEN A CHILD HIT A BALL WITH A BAT AND THE BALLED ENDED UP GOING UP INTO THE AIR COMING DOWN DIRECTLY ON THE TOP OF HER HEAD. THE BALL WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL AND A VERY HARD PLASTIC. DX: HEAD INJURY - MILD
17YOM HERE FOR L ANKLE PAIN X YESTERDAY. STATES HE WAS PLAYING BALL AND FELL AND TWISTED HIS ANKLE. ENDORSES MOST OF HIS PAIN ON THE MEDIAL ANKLE AND LATERAL DISTAL LEG , PT ALSO HAS FOOT PAIN DX: CLOSED FRACTURE OF SHAFT OF LEFT FIBULA,
18YOM FELL STRIKING HIS HEAD A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO WHILE PLAYING BALL AND HAVING CONTINUED HEADACHE, NOW HAVING NAUSEA WITH SEVERE HEADACHE DX: POST CONCUSSIVE SYNDROME
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s. on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s.?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s. have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 10,582 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s.?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 18,487 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s. increasing or decreasing?
Down 55% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s. injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 109,388 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s.?
Of all ER visits involving ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s., approximately 1.7% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.3%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with ball sports (activity, apparel or equipment), n.s.?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports Protective Equipment & Gear
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 33/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
