CPSC NEISS · code 3257

Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)

Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment): danger rank #213 of 838 is not ER-volume rank #88 of 838 (28,993 estimated ER visits a year; roughly flat over the last five years).

Sports Protective Equipment & Gear CPSC NEISS through 2024

Danger score versus ER volume

Danger score versus ER volume

According to CPSC NEISS 2005-2024, Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) ranks #213 of 838 by danger score (39/100) at ER-volume #88 of 838 (28,993/yr). They are not the same ranking.

#213
danger rank of 838
#88
ER-volume rank of 838
39/100
danger score
28,993/yr
estimated ER visits (avg)

Danger score combines injury volume, hospitalization, fatality, and five-year trend. ER volume is the average annual NEISS estimate alone. Rank 1 is highest on each list.

Where this category's danger score sits nationally

Danger score (39/100) across 838 scored CPSC product categories

39 Around the middle lower than 25% of 838 product categories

scored CPSC product categories, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more product categories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CPSC NEISS, PlainSafety danger-score model · 2024

Composite verdict

Composite Safety Score: 47/100

One verdict blending 4 independently-sourced dimensions from two separate CPSC systems, each benchmarked against all 838 scored product categories by percentile rather than raw value, so no single huge-volume category can dominate the scale.

C
Dimension Value National percentile Weight applied Source
Injury severity (hospitalization + fatality blend) 2 18th 35% CPSC NEISS 20-year severity index
Annual ER injury volume 28,993 88th 30% CPSC NEISS estimated annual ER-treated injuries
5-year injury trend -4% 59th 15% CPSC NEISS 5-year % change in ER-treated injuries
Consumer incident reports 2 25th 20% CPSC SaferProducts.gov public incident report count

Methodology: each dimension is ranked against the full population's p10/p25/p50/p75/p90 breakpoints and interpolated to a 0-100 percentile; the composite is the weighted average of available percentiles. See methodology for the full benchmark table.

Where 579,883 estimated ER injuries land on the body

Body-part shares from the same CPSC NEISS injury_types extract for product code 3257. Segments sum to 579,883 - a body-map mix, not a danger score or ER-volume rank.

Two danger lenses

Same-group peer scores and this product's dial

The bars compare PlainSafety danger scores inside the Sports Protective Equipment & Gear group (same CPSC NEISS extract). The dial is this product's score alone on the Low/Moderate/High bands. Do not read a peer bar as an ER-visit count.

Sports Protective Equipment & Gear danger scores

1. All Terrain Vehicles (# O…54/1002. Mopeds Or Power-assisted …54/1003. Exercise (activity Or App…48/1004. Snow Skiing (activity, Ap…47/1005. All Terrain Vehicles (fou…46/1006. Exercise Equipment45/1007. Tennis (activity, Apparel…44/1008. Martial Arts (activity, A…39/100
Higher score = higher composite danger in this group. Peer set is other scored products sharing the same CPSC group.
0/100100/10039/100
PlainSafety danger score · Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 39/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume 28,993 ER visits/yr High volume
  • Severity (hospitalization rate) 2.2% Low admission rate
  • Fatality rate 0.02% Low fatality rate
  • 5-year trend-4%

Band labels compare this category against the corpus of 838 scored CPSC product categories, see the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Across the 20-year NEISS window from 2005 to 2024, injury counts for martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) are roughly flat over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (36,065 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (15,820 estimated visits). The single most common ER diagnosis is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 29,722 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the knee (28,795 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 159,510 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 2.2% 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 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) 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)

10K15K20K25K30K35K40K 20052008201120142017202020232024 34K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 2,609 957 3,566
5-14 99,329 53,541 152,870
15-24 121,180 38,295 159,510
25-34 100,341 29,884 130,272
35-44 57,794 22,858 80,652
45-54 24,254 12,084 36,338
55-64 8,778 3,234 12,063
65-74 2,278 867 3,145
75+ 423 1,011 1,434

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Ankle Strain, Sprain 29,722
Knee Strain, Sprain 28,795
Head Internal Injury 19,877
Foot Contusions, Abr. 19,652
Upper Trunk Contusions, Abr. 19,270
Shoulder Strain, Sprain 17,013
Upper Trunk Other 16,992
Toe Fracture 16,843
Knee Other 16,369
Face Laceration 15,626
Head Concussion 14,833
Lower Trunk Strain, Sprain 14,496
Foot Strain, Sprain 12,459
Finger Fracture 10,826
Hand Fracture 10,723

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 96.4% (558,961)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 1.7% (9,771)
Left Without Being Seen 1.4% (8,029)
Treated And Transferred 0.4% (2,465)
Held For Observation 0.1% (584)
Fatality Incl. Doa, Died In Er 0.0% (73)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 11 · Female · Wrist · Fracture · 2024

11YOF PRESENTS WITH RIGHT WRIST PAIN AFTER FALLING ON IT EARLIER TODAY WHILE DOING KARATE DX: BUCKLE FRACTURE OF RIGHT WRIST

Age 16 · Female · Face · Fracture · 2024

16YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE WAS KICKED IN THE FACE DURING KARATE DX: NASAL FRACTURE

Age 17 · Male · Upper Leg · Strain, Sprain · 2024

17 YOM INJ LT GROIN AND LT KNEE KICKBOXING AND LIFTING WEIGHTS AT THE GYM DX LT THIGH STRAIN, PAIN LT KNEE ;

Age 33 · Male · Upper Trunk · Fracture · 2024

33YOM WAS DOING JUJITSU, WAS PINNED BY A LARGER OPPONENT, AND FELT A SUDDEN ONSET OF PAIN IN HIS LEFT LOWER RIB AREA AND SUBSEQUENTLY NOTED A PROTRUDING RIB DX: TRAUMATIC INJURY OF RIB, RIB FRACTURE

Age 10 · Female · Wrist · Fracture · 2024

10 YOF FELL BACKWARDS ONTO MAT WHILE AT KARATE PRACTICE, C/O PAIN LEFT FOREARM AND WRIST, DX: BUCKLE FRACTURE DISTAL RADIUS AND ULNA

Age 25 · Male · Upper Leg · Other · 2024

25 YOM WAS INVOLVED IN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS AND TOOK A SEVERE KICK TO THE LEFT THIGH ABOUT 5 WEEKS AGO. DX: PAIN LEFT THIGH

Age 12 · Female · Wrist · Fracture · 2024

12YOF TO ER W/ FATHER, FOR RIGHT WRIST & FOREARM INJURY THAT OCCURED AT JUJITSU TODAY, PT WAS IN A MATCH & OPONENTS KNEE LANDED ON HER RIGHT ARM& WRIST, PAIN W/ SQUEEZING HAND DX WRIST INJURY, CLSD FRACTURE OF RIGHT WRIST, CLSD FRACTURE OF RIGHT FOREARM

Age 16 · Male · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2024

16YOM,JUJITSU EXERCISE AN DEVELOP ANKLE PAIN AFTER,DX:ANKLE SPRAIN

Age 7 · Female · Toe · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

7YOF WAS IN KARATE CLASS WHEN SHE WAS KICKED IN THE RIGHT GREAT TOE DX: CONTUSIO TO TOE

Age 16 · Female · Knee · Other · 2024

16YOF WAS TAKING A KICKBOXING CLASS WHEN SHE TWISTED HER RIGHT KNEE DX: RIGHT KNEE INJURY

Age 27 · Male · Shoulder · Dislocation · 2024

27YOM PRESENTS WITH SHOULDER PAIN AFTER SPARRING IN MARTIAL ARTS AND FALLING. DX: AC JOINT DISLOCATION

Age 16 · Male · Foot · Other · 2024

16YOM HURT FOOT AT JUDO PRACTICE DX: FOOT PAIN

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

5/25/2012 · Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received · AMBER SPORTING GOODS, INC · Pennsylvania

The consumer stated that he purchased a 100 pound dummy that was delivered to his home. The consumer stated that he smelled a moldy odor, but he continued to take it down to his basement. The consumer proceeded to use the dummy for approximately 20-30 minutes. He stated that he stated to feel nauseous and it made him leave the basement area. The consumer stated that for the next 2 day after he experiences headache and painful sensations on the left side of the face and neck. The consumer stated that it is unusual for him to get headaches. The consumer stated that he did not treat it with any medicine. The consumer stated that he also experienced shortness of breath, light headedness, fatigue and dizziness. The consumer stated that he believes that the chemical used to fumigate was “methyl bromide”. The consumer stated that he conducted some independent research and found that this chemical has the same smell as what he experienced and it causes the same side effects. He stated that this chemical is the most commonly used chemical in India to fumigate. The consumer added that the dummy he purchased was made in India. The consumer contacted the manufacturer and they stated that it was mold. The representative continued to inform the consumer that the smell was the odor of the chemical they use to fumigate the fabric inside the dummy. The consumer stated that the consumer stated that the manufacturer advised the consumer to take the dummy outside to let it air out and if the smell was still there to spray an odor eliminator. The consumer stated that the website he ordered the dummy from provided a refund and they will be picking it up between 05/29/2012 and 06/03/2012. The consumer believes that this product should be investigated since it poses a poising hazard to the consumer.

1/18/2012 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · EVERLAST WORLDWIDE · Arkansas

Hand Injury(puncture wound) occured with mma dummy on Jan. 18 2011. I purchased the bag approximatly 8 months earlier using the bag in our Karate school for that time peroid. The injury ocured when student struck the bag to find there was a sharp object inside of bag which is sewn shut at manufacter. After futher inspection we found what appeared to be a pair of scissors inside of bag. I have made several attempts to work this issue out with Everlast.They requisted all medical bills to document injury after sending them all they requisted, I have not been able to contact them they will not return my calls.

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.

Compare beyond Sports Protective Equipment & Gear

Nationwide peers by danger score, ER volume & hospitalization

Three PlainSafety-derived comparison paths for Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment): cross-group products nearest on danger score (39/100), estimated annual ER visits (28,993/yr), and hospitalization share (2.2%). Same-group neighbours stay in Related Products above.

Read with this product

About this data

CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports form the basis of this page. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments.

According to PlainSafety's CPSC NEISS corpus ranking, Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) ranks #213 of 838 scored CPSC product categories by PlainSafety danger score and #88 of 838 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) rank on danger score versus ER volume?

Among 838 scored CPSC product categories, martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) ranks #213 by PlainSafety danger score (39/100) and #88 by 20-year estimated ER injury volume (28,993/yr). The two rankings come from the same NEISS extract and are not the same order.

What are the most common injuries from martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment)?

The most common injury is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 29,722 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?

Stable over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?

The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 159,510 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment)?

Of all ER visits involving martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 2.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (97.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with martial arts (activity, apparel or equipment)?

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.

Data on Martial Arts (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) is compiled directly from CPSC NEISS and SaferProducts.gov records, current through 2024. See our methodology for details.

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.

PlainSafety is rendered directly from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall and incident records, no number is typed in by an editor. Product recall timelines and hazard labels are drawn from CPSC recall records for this product. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.