Each year, over 775,000 children under the age of 15 years are treated in hospital emergency departments for sports injuries.  In fact, sports injuries are the number one reason for emergency department visits among children.  About 80 percent of these injuries are from playing football, basketball, baseball, or soccer.  Many of these injuries can be prevented if parents get involved.  As a parent, it is important for you to match your child to the right sport, and not force him/her into an activity that he/she may not like or be capable of doing.

About two-thirds of the sports related injuries in children are sprains (involving ligaments, which connect one bone to another) and strains (involving muscles).  Only 5 percent of sports injuries involve broken bones.  The majority of injuries are mild, but they can cause problems for both children and their parents during the healing process.  And if not allowed to heal properly, a minor injury can become a more serious one that interferes with proper growth and causes life-long problems.

You may not be able to protect your child from all sports injuries, but there are some things you can do to help prevent them:

• Before your child starts a training program or enters a competition, take him/her to the doctor for a physical exam;


• Enroll your child in organized sports through schools, community clubs, and recreation areas where there are adults who are certified athletic trainers (ATC).  An ATC is also trained in the prevention, recognition and immediate care of athletic injuries;


• Make sure your child wears all the required safety gear every time he/she plays and practices.  Insist that your child warm up and stretch before playing, paying special attention to the muscles that will get the most use during play.


• Teach your child not to play through pain.  If your child gets injured, see your doctor.  Follow all the doctor’s orders for recovery, and get the doctor’s OK before your child returns to play;


• Talk to and watch your child’s coach.  Coaches should enforce all the rules of the game, encourage safe play, and understand the special injury risks that young players face;


• If you’re not sure it it’s safe for your child to perform a certain technique or move (such as heading a soccer ball or diving off the highest platform), ask your pediatrician and the coach about it.


• Above all, keep sports fun.  Putting too much focus on winning can make your child push too hard and risk injury.

(Phillips, Lee, M.D. Kids Sports Injuries. September 23, 2000. PersonalMd.com. Medical Advisory Board. Retrieved on October 3, 2007 from www.personalmd.com)