Rodeo-Related Injuries Among Adolescents Treated at Emergency Departments

Rodeo is an extreme sport involving powerful forces created by large animals.

The objective of this study was to characterize rodeo-related injuries among adolescents treated at United States emergency departments (EDs).

Cases were rodeo-related injuries among patients ages 13-19 years reported to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System during 2000-2019. The distribution of the national injury estimates was determined for selected variables.

A total of 408 adolescent rodeo-related injuries were identified, resulting in a national estimate of 17,363 injuries. Bulls were involved in 58.4% of the injuries and horses in 28.8%. The patients were 84.7% male and 15.3% female. The most frequently reported mechanisms of injury were: fell or thrown from an animal (41.4%), stepped on by an animal (22.4%), other contact with an animal (7.4%), contact with infrastructure (6.6%), and kicked by an animal (5.9%). The most common diagnoses were contusion or abrasion (29.5%), fracture (22.8%), strain or sprain (15.0%), laceration (8.1%), and concussion (8.0%). The affected body part was 26.9% head and neck, 25.9% upper extremity, 24.6% lower extremity, and 21.6% trunk.

Most of the injuries involved bulls. The majority of patients were male. Most of the injuries resulted from falling or being thrown by an animal or stepped on by an animal. The most frequently reported injuries were contusion or abrasion, fracture, strain or sprain, laceration, and concussion. The injuries most often affected the head and neck followed by the upper extremity and lower extremity.