5 Most Dangerous Recreational Sports (with the most ER visits)

First up on the list is less a sport and more of a recreational activity. But no matter what you call it, ATV riding is a risky pastime, sending nearly a quarter of a million fans of these all-terrain vehicles -- 230,666 to be exact -- to the hospital in 2010 [Source: NEISS].

Of recreational activities, all-terrain vehicles are a recent addition, growing in popularity since hitting the market in the 1970s.

In 2010, the Government Accountability Office prepared a report for Congress on ATVs. It found that the number in use went from about 3.6 million in 1999 to 10.2 million in 2008, an increase of about 183 percent [source: GAO].

But along with the popularity came a troubling issue: children riding adult-sized ATVs. The GAO found that in a majority of the cases, injuries to youths resulted from riding the larger vehicles. In an undercover operation it conducted in four states, the office found that seven out of 10 dealers were willing to sell adult-sized ATVs for use by children [source: GAO].

Orthopedic surgeon Jeffrey R. Sawyer has straightforward advice to avoid ATV mishaps. "The most important ways to prevent injury are adult supervision, helmets, protective clothing and age-appropriate vehicles," he said [source: AAOS].

"Play ball!" That is, at your own risk. No. 4 on our list is America's favorite pastime, baseball. Included in the data -- and the 282,008 ER visits -- is its cousin, the fine sport of softball.

Plastic surgeons take note: The most common body part to be injured is the face. Though collisions are common when rounding the bases, most of those facial injuries, 68 percent, resulted from direct contact with the ball [source: Bak]. This gives a new meaning to "heads up."

But there's consolation in this: Only 5,468 of those injured were admitted to the hospital for a longer stay [source: NEISS]. That's the fewest out of the five most dangerous recreactional sports (in contrast, No. 5 on this list, ATVs, led to 26,078 hospital stays or deaths on arrival).

And to prove that boys play rough, about two-thirds of baseball/softball injuries were from male respondents [source: NEISS].

Ready, set, hut!

When getting your game face on, remember your helmet, too. Football, one of the most popular sports in the U.S., is the third-most dangerous, with participants making 489,676 trips to the emergency room in 2010 [source: NEISS].

Not that a helmet is a sure-fire way to avoid a trip to the hospital. According to Johnson, the Michigan Tech professor, football helmets and pads change the nature of the game.

"It's important for athletes of all ages to understand that safety equipment like helmets and pads are a double-edged sword," Johnson said. "They provide protection, but they also make it possible for players to hit each other a lot harder" [source: Johnson].

And even with proper equipment, many players sustain concussions.

"A helmet is great protection against a fatal skull fracture, but it can't prevent a concussion, because a concussion happens when your brain bounces around inside your skull," Johnson said. "If you get hit hard enough, whether it's in the body or the head, your brain is going to get bumped around."

For our next sport, you're less likely to get a concussion, but it won't stop you from spraining an ankle as you drive up the court.

Whether hitting the driveway for a little roundball with your dad or joining an indoor rec league, consider that basketball is the second-most dangerous recreational sport in the U.S. -- tallying 528,584 emergency room visits in 2010.

And for the most part, it's teenagers filling the emergency rooms. Basketball is the most popular team sport for both boys and girls in the U.S. Over the past 20 years, participation is up more than 10 percent for boys and nearly 20 percent for girls [source: McKenzie].

Of the half a million trips to the ER, 49 percent were injuries sustained by those in the 15-to-24 age range, higher than any other sport on this list [source: NEISS].

In a 10-year study of the NEISS data, the most common reason for basketball players showing up at the ER? Sprains or strains to the lower extremities, like twisting an ankle, which accounted for 30 percent of the visits [source: McKenzie].

If there's a silver lining, it's this: Overall, injuries in the sport have decreased during the past 15 years. But that's no reason to throw caution to the wind.

So what made the top of the list? Grab a helmet and some spandex and embrace your inner Lance Armstrong.

Have wheels, will travel -- and likely get injured, if NEISS data is any indication.

Bicycle riding sends more people to the ER than any other sport or activity, 2.3 times more than ATV riding [source: NEISS].

The popularity of cycling, from training wheels to extreme mountain biking, lends itself to the higher number of injuries and a chart-topping 541,746 ER trips. But there's one more factor that makes cycling more dangerous than any other sport: other vehicles.

Those who cycle off-road have 40 percent less chance of getting injured [source: Thompson]. When your mom told you not to play in the street, it looks like she had a point.

But for cyclists who do frequent the paved roads of America, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has some tips. Cyclists should follow the rules of the road, it suggests, and enthusiasts should avoid riding at night [source: NHTSA].

So there you have it, the five most dangerous recreational sports in the U.S. If you're going to play, play it safe: "We should take reasonable steps to eliminate avoidable and excessive risk in sports, but we shouldn't live in fear," said Johnson. "Being sedentary is also hazardous to your health."