According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are approximately 8.6 million sports-related injuries every year in the United States alone. Senior Lily Macatee finds that these injuries are unavoidable and cannot be stopped from occurring.  

      Senior Noah Fish plays football and rugby and has played “rugby for 11 years and football for two.” Macatee plays “soccer, lacrosse, and basketball.” She has played all three sports since she was about “5-years-old.” 

     During Fish’s time in the sports, he says “the most common injuries [he] sees are sprained ankles and concussions.” He recognizes that these injuries, while mainly impacting football and rugby, can “affect all sports.” According to Mayo Clinic, a sprained ankle is “an injury that occurs when you roll, twist or turn your ankle in an awkward way.” The clinic states that this can “stretch or tear the tough bands of tissue that help hold [the] ankle bonds together.” 

      A concussion, says Mayo Clinic, is “a traumatic brain injury that affects your brain function.” The clinic claims that some effects are “usually temporary but can include headaches and problems with concentration, memory,” as well as “balance and coordination.” 

      According to the clinic, concussions are “usually caused by a blow to the head,” but can also occur from “[violent] shaking of the head and upper body.” Mayo Clinic says that some concussions can “cause you to lose consciousness, but most do not.” 

     Throughout Macatee’s career in lacrosse, soccer, and basketball, she believes the most common injuries received in her sports are “ACL injuries.”  

      An ACL injury, according to Mayo Clinic is “a tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament- one of the strong bands of tissue that help connect your thigh bone to your shin bone.” The clinic continues by stating that, “ACL injuries most commonly occur during sports that involve sudden stops or changes in direction, jumping, and landing – such as soccer, basketball, football, and downhill skiing.” 

      Macatee finds these injuries occurring “at least once a season,” which she believes is too often. Fish sees concussions and sprained ankles very frequently. He claims he sees an ankle sprain about every two games and “a concussion every three [or so].”  

     While Macatee has “never torn [her] ACL,” she has “broken [her] ankle playing soccer.” She found the injury to be “extremely painful” and was out of soccer for “a few months because [she] had to get surgery” and physical therapy to recover from it.  

      Fish states that he has “never been injured in rugby,” but he has sprained his ankle. The recovery time for the injury was around “three days.” According to Harvard Health, the average healing time for a Grade One sprained ankle is around “one-three weeks,” a Grade Two sprain to recover in around “three-six weeks,” and a Grade Three sprain to recover in “several months.” 

      Ankle sprains, Fish says, are not typically too serious, but “concussion[s] are very serious and players are out for multiple games.” The CDC states that, “People who have had repeated concussion may have serious long-term problems, including chronic difficulty with concentration, memory, headache, and occasionally, physical skills, such as keeping one’s balance.”  

      Fish believes the most common cause of concussions is “getting hit in the head” or “falling on your head.” According to Mayo Clinic, falls are “the most common cause of concussion[s].” The clinic states that concussions are “also common if you play a contact sport, such as football or soccer.” 

     Fish states that one can “buy ankle supports to help [them] out.” He says that these can be worn before games to prevent injury before an event. In rugby, Fish says, there are “no helmets in rugby,” which means that concussions are not very preventable in this sport.