CURRENT ISSUES AND TRENDS: KIDS AND SPORT RELATED INJURIES BY: Angela LaBella

CURRENT ISSUE: SPORT INJURIES IN KIDS  Youth athletes begin their competitive sports as early as age 7, with some as early as age 4  Estimated 25 mil scholastic, and another 20 mil organized youth programs, opportunity for injury is enormous  Approximately 3 million youth are seen in emergency rooms with another 5 million seen by primary care physicians or a sport medicine clinic (not including injuries not seen)  Sport related injuries are the second leading cause of emergency room visits for children and adolescents  As well as the second leading cause of injuries in school

INJURIES CONT.  Physical activity I necessary for normal growth in children  But, when activity level becomes too intense, Tissue breakdown and injury can occur  The biggest factor contributing to the dramatic increase in overuse injuries in youth athletes is the major focus on more intense, repetitive and specialized training at much younger ages

REASONS FOR INJURIES AT YOUNG AGES  Sport specialization at young age  Imbalance of strength or joint range of motion  Anatomic Malalignment – failure of parts of the body to align correctly  Improper footwear  Pre-existing condition  Growth cartilage less resistant to repetitive micro trauma  Intense. Repetitive training during periods of growth

HISTORY ABOUT KIDS AND SPORT INJURIES  Overuse injuries were frequently seen in adult recreational athletes, but are now being seen in children  Overuse injuries such as stress fractures, tendinitis, bursitis, apophysitis and osteochondral injuries of the joint surface were rarely seen when children spent more time engaging in free play rather than competitive sports  Children are playing at higher intensities and at younger ages. Grade schooler’s may be playing in multiple leagues. By high school, many adolescent athletes concentrate on one sport and play all four seasons, which means they don’t cross-train or change loading environments. (Dr. Kocher MD,MPH Associate director)  Youth sports have also become big business. Scouts attend youth sporting events, even in the middle school age group.

HOW TO ADDRESS INJURY IN YOUNG CHILDREN  Early recognition  If swelling, deformity, and/or loss of normal function – see physician immediately  Nagging injuries that go untreated can turn into chronic problems that require longer time away for healing purposes

R.I.C.E  Best treatment plan = RICE  REST – Do not us injured area until seen - if walking with a limp, use crutches  ICE – apply ice to reduce pain and swelling min at a time - use for first hours post injury  COMPRESSION – Wrap or compression sock should be used to reduce swelling - Apply below injury and wrap upward - Leave toes and finger exposed/ watch for numbness  ELEVATION – Lift above heart/use gravity to control swelling

HOW TO PREVENT:  Pre-season medical screening: -Every child should receive an annual pre-prarticipation physical evaluation (PPE)/sport physical  Safety gear: -Children playing sports should have access to and consistent use well-maintained safety equipment both during practices and games  Qualified coaching: -Coaches should be trained in first aid and CPR -Plan for responding to emergencies and knowledge of safety rules and equipment use -Athletic trainers should be on staff to respond to injuries

HOW TO PREVENT CONT.  Proper conditioning: -coaches should teach young athletes proper routines for both warm-ups and cool downs -62% of sport related injuries occur during practice rather than in games -Most common sport related injuries in children are sprains, muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries and heat related illness  Hydration: -Athletes should drink water before, during and after competition/practices  Rest: -When young athletes are very tired or in pain, coaches should encourage rest. Just by resting, it can help prevent acute and over use injuries

SPORT RELATED INJURIES IN CHILDREN WILL IMPACT MY AREA OF CONCENTRATION  As an athletic trainer or physical therapist injuries in children will make my job more necessary and prevalent  I would have to make decisions on how to approach these injuries while also researching new rehabilitation techniques to get my athletes back on the field or court as soon as possible while making sure that they are in a healthy physical and mental state to continue to perform  It will be important for me to act fast especially when involving sport related injuries in kids because if not addressed right away more serious injuries can occur and the kid might get to the point where they won’t be able to return to their sport (I know from personal experience)

CONT.  Especially since sport related injuries in youth are continuously increasing, there is a higher need for experts in this field to discover ways to treat and prevent so that the number of sport related injuries can hopefully begin declining

REFERENCES  are-impressive    Personal experience – 4 knee surgeries, all sport related. Physical therapy about 8 different periods of time, all sport related. Receiving 2 more surgeries this winter, also due to sports. First surgery when I was 13.