Most sports have at least some element of risk involved for the participants. Others border on the edge of insanity.

This week's Top 5 is all about those sports which cause the most injuries - and the ones that can be the most lethal when things go wrong.

Here we go. And, by the way - don't try these at home...

5. Cheerleading

We know what you're thinking, but cheerleading is one of the front runners in terms of serious injuries. With around 20,000 reported injuries in the United States alone, this sport is not for the faint hearted. When you consider some of the ridiculous positions these girls (and the 'odd' guy) put themselves in, it's no wonder there are some extremely serious injuries. Anytime you flip someone high into the air, you've got to expect that at some point they're going to land flat on their face. Or worse...

You might think cheerleading is for dainty little girls, but no - you've gotta be tough (and a little crazy...) to partake in THIS brutal sport.

4. Cave Diving
There are a million things that can potentially go wrong when you decide to go cave diving, which (for those who don't know what that is) basically means swimming in underwater caves. As far as we're concerned, anyone who swims in caves filled with water has serious issues.

Firstly, there's the problem of faulty equipment, which can prove to be lethal if your air supply runs out and you're 100m below the surface. Secondly, and probably the most dangerous part, is that you're in the sea - which means SHARKS. And any sport that involves sharks has to be considered dangerous (and just plain stupid) in our opinion...

3. Golf
Another sport that people innocently think nothing can go wrong with. Don't be fooled by the tartan pants and funny little hats, though - this sport can be lethal.

Apparently around 4000 people die each year while out enjoying a round of golf, not to mention that 5% of all lightning fatality's occur on the fairway. When you're out on the course, it's not bad enough you've got to watch out for other people's balls, but you've also got to watch out for lightning - making this enjoyable pastime a lethal sport.

2. Mixed Martial Arts
A sport that involves another man trying to knock you out? Yep, we think it's dangerous, too.

While MMA might be considered brutal, there are actually a lot of rules to help keep the fighters safe from serious injuries. But that doesn't mean injuries don't occur - far from it, in fact. When you've got another guy whose objective is to either knock you out, or submit you via some maneuver designed to break your arm, serious injuries are going to be a fact of life.

Still - we think we'd take our chances with some fighter than we would a shark or a bolt of lightning...us aside, though, we think MMA has to come in at #2.

1. Base Jumping
Before we start - if you do this, you're nuts.

Base jumping has to have the most amount of risk involved in any sport. If you're falling towards the earth at a million miles an hour, and your chute doesn't open, there's nothing you can do except watch your life flash before your eyes. Although to be fair you'd probably be too busy screaming and filling your pants to notice some precious memories from your childhood...

If everything DOES go right, it's probably one of the greatest thrills you could experience - but that doesn't change the fact that when things DO go wrong, they go wrong in a spectacularly bad way.

Call us chicken, but we'd prefer our feet planted safely on the ground.


Head to the forum, and give us your thoughts!

Photo Credits (Flickr) - terren in Virginia (cheerleaders), Rescue Dog (base jumper).