Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sports-Related Injuries Evaluated in US Emergency Departments

BACKGROUND: Organized athletics are undergoing a gradual resumption after a prolonged hiatus in 2020 because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the 2020 COVID-19 period on emergency department (ED) visits for sports-related injuries in the United States. It was hypothesized that such visits decreased in response to the pandemic conditions. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: A selection of sports (baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, American football, weightlifting, track and field, martial arts, boxing, golf, personal fitness, cycling, tennis, and ice hockey) were classified as being an organized team, organized individual, or nonorganized sport. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was then queried for ED visits for sports-related injuries between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020, and we compared weighted national injury estimates and injury characteristics from athletes presenting to EDs in 2018 and 2019 versus those from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic period and between March 1 and May 31, 2020 (government-imposed lockdown period). Bivariate comparisons between variables were conducted using chi-square analysis, with strength of association assessed using odds ratios. RESULTS: The 164,151 unweighted cases obtained from the query resulted in a weighted national estimate of 5,664,795 sports-related injuries during the study period. Overall, there was a 34.6% decrease in sports-related ED visits in 2020 compared with the yearly average between 2018 and 2019 (baseline). The number of ED visits in 2020 decreased by 53.9% versus baseline for injuries incurred by participation in an organized team sport and by 34.9% for injuries incurred by participation in an organized individual sport. The number of ED visits during the 2020 lockdown period decreased by 76.9% versus baseline for injuries incurred by participation in an organized team sport and by 65.8% for injuries incurred by participation in an organized individual sport. Injuries sustained while participating in a nonorganized sport remained relatively unaffected and decreased by only 8.1% in 2020. CONCLUSION: ED visits in the United States for injuries sustained while participating in an organized team or individual sport underwent a decrease after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, especially during the lockdown period.