There are some weekends that feel like a marathon to the finish--literally.
Every parent with young children involved in sports activities knows the feeling.

Along with sports, intramural events, and the noise,  goes injuries to athletes
and subsequent parental anxiety about long term implications.

So, what does a parent need to know about sports injuries?

What does a parent need to know about competition and its role in injuries?

                         

The CDC reports on childhood sports injuries tell us that 1.9 million children
under the age of 15 were treated in emergency rooms in 2002.
Approximately 3 million sports related injuries occur in children each year.

The most common types of sports related injuries are:
Sprains and Strains-Most common
Growth Plate Injuries
Repetitive Motion Injuries
Heat-Related Injuries

The leading cause of death from sports related injury is brain injury
Sports and recreational activities contribute 21 percent of all traumatic
   brain injuries among children and adolescents.
The majority of head injuries resulting from sports and recreational
   activities occur during bicycling, skateboarding, and skating.

The playground is the most common place for injury for young children
  ages 5-9.
Bicycling affects younger children as well as adolescents.
The highest rates of injury involve contact and collisions.
More severe injuries occur in individual sports and recreational activities.
The severity of injuries increases with age.
A child just starting a sports activity is at higher risk of injury.

A contradiction in the statistics is emerging.  Even though there is
much documentation of the increasing problem of childhood obesity,
there is an increase in the rates of children being started at younger
and younger ages in competitive organized team sports.  So, parents
are doing a great job of getting their kids into sports but a poor
job at keeping them fit and trim.  This actually puts kids at higher
risk of injury--like the weekend warrior syndrome in adults who do
very little physical activity during the week and expect their bodies
to respond favorably to intense physical activity on the weekends.

                   

The intensity of competition appears to be contributing to the increase
in childhood injuries.   The implication, from this doctor's perspective,
is that adults are pushing their children HARD.  Now, there is nothing
wrong with pushing kids but, when it comes to competition, there is
now hardly a month that goes by without some story surfacing in the
national or local media about crazy behavior by the parents--the
lunatic cheerleader mother, the parent who attacks the referee or
the coach, the parents that get into fist fights with each other--or the
children--throwing rackets, bad language, fist fights, etc. etc. etc.

Though there are arguments to be made for the pros and cons of
competition, the effects on children, especially young children, can
be quite negative. 

One author examines the effects of competition on children and
the effect of parenting on the issue.

                       

                                   **COMMENTS**

We, the adults, are intensifying the competition and creating an
atmosphere which is raising the risk for childhood injuries. 
We are encouraging higher and higher levels of competition that
are putting our children at higher risk of injuries and, it appears
that little thought is going into making sure the level of competition
is healthy rather than overwhelming.  Parents have to do a better
job.

And, what about all those TV shows that put "extreme" behavior in
front of the masses as the thing to do.  I would submit that
most people do not realize how little it takes to have a truly life
altering injury.  For example, have you thought how it would feel
to have to hobble around on one leg while the other heals in a
cast or wrap?  When was the last time you tried to do your job
one handed while the other one balances the crutch?  All it
takes is stepping off a stair wrong--it takes 2 seconds for the
injury and weeks to months for the healing process.  And,  the
joint is never quite the same again. 

Our sense of proportion is off when we think that the risk involved
in a sports activity is justified by the potential glory of a trophy when
a child is 5, 6, 7, 8--even 13.  If only we did that with reading, writing,
and arithmetic and pushed our children as hard in scholastics as we
seem to do in sports.  Parents have to do a better job.

I treat adults both young and old.  My population of 20-somethings
who already have joint injuries from childhood sports, is
mounting.  These are not just sprains and strains but severe,
already-had-surgery-on-the-joint type of injuries that will come
back to haunt them in their 30's, 40's, and 50's.  And we, as adults,
are responsible.  And we as parents have to do a better job.

Ironically, while parents involve their kids in sports, they themselves
sit on the sidelines like bumps-on-a-log doing precisely what they
are trying to teach their children not to do.  I've ranted about this
phenomenon before.  The importance of Role Modeling cannot be
under-estimated--and is something we as adults are responsible
for.  We have got to do a better job.

So, the two contradictory trends are obesity and poor overall physical
conditioning alongside increased participation in highly competitive
organized sports.  And the rates of injuries are rising.
And we, as adults, are responsible.

                       

Preventive Strategies Include:
Examine the competition in each child's life-is it too much, too little.
   Are they "stressed out" and having trouble coping?
Manage competition for each child based on how they respond.
   Get a plan to help the child having trouble coping before any 
   problems set in.
Enroll kids in activities organized by schools, communities, etc.
   These programs usually emphasize safety.
Use safety gear regularly that is designed for that particular activity or sport.
Make warm-ups and cool-downs a regular part of sports.
Use sunscreen and other sun protective gear for outdoor sports.
Make sure kids have access to plenty of water and hydrating liquids
   both during and after activity.
Follow safety rules for each particular sport.
Maintain a good level of fitness throughout the year and avoid an
   abrupt start to a sports season.
Make sure equipment and clothing fit properly both in size and comfort.
Weight or strength training is being advocated to help build muscle
    strength that can help protect joints from injury.

TREATMENT to Start With:
R--Rest
I--Ice at least 15 minutes at a time
C--Compress with easily available Ace Wraps
E--Elevate