Sports Injuries In Children – Being Parents

When children play sports, it is normal for an injury to occur, and even more so if they do so frequently. Sports injuries in children are different from those in adults because the musculoskeletal system of young children has certain peculiarities, which triggers both acute and subacute injuries.

Types of sports injuries in children

When you have a child at home who is constantly exercising, knowing what types of injuries can occur is essential. Among the most frequent we can find:

Acute injuries

Among the most common acute injuries are fractures and traumatic soft tissue injuries, which are directly associated with any type of blow the child may receive during play. According to Revista Médica Clinica Las Condes , these are the injuries most frequent acute:

• Tearing of the epithelium
• Fracture of the anterior tibial spine
• Avulsion fracture of the pelvis
• Avulsion of the anterior tibial tuberosity
• Avulsion of the lower patella

Injuries from overuse

Also called overload injury, this type of condition refers to repetitive submaximal loads which, if not treated in time, can end up damaging the child’s skeleton. This type of injury has various causes, among which we find:

• Mistakes made during training
• Inadequate footwear
• Pre-existing orthopedic alterations
• Inadequate playing field

• Musculotendinous imbalance

Studies of sports injuries in children

Certain sports may be more likely to cause some type of injury in children. It is essential that parents know which sports are most at risk for injury.

According to a study by the Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte , sports in which children are most likely to be injured include:

Soccer

It is one of the most popular sports for children around the world. Being a direct contact sport, it is more likely that different types of injuries will occur, mainly in the legs and feet. In addition, injuries can also occur due to the poor condition of the playing field, the type of athletic shoes or poor ball control.

According to data collected by research, this sport tops the list of school accidents, with 41%. In sports statistics, indoor football is also among the sports which generate the most sports injuries in children during the school period.

Basketball

Basketball is an extremely common sport in childhood. The incidence of injuries is also high due to the condition of the playing field and the movements that must be performed during the game. In this case, the most common injuries that can occur are ankle sprain, overload, injury to the interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints.

It is the second most injury-generating sport, according to research, at 15%.

Other sports

In the case of volleyball, if the ball is wrong, injuries can occur to the forearm. On the other hand, we find gymnastics and judo which, although injuries can also occur during their practice, are generally less frequent. Among the research percentages, gymnastics ranks third with 15%, while all other sports account for 9%.

How to prevent sports injuries in children

It can often be difficult to prevent injuries when playing sports, as many are in direct contact and require a variety of movements. Nevertheless, some injuries can occur for other reasons that we can, with certain preventive measures, prevent from occurring in children. We mention them in detail:

• Use the equipment correctly. In every sport, you have to use the right balls, an optimal playing field and protective elements for the body.
• Perform adequate training.
• Use the right athletic shoes. Respect the dimensions and other elements, according to the requirements of the playing field.
• It is recommended that the child attend a sports school to learn technique and teamwork.
• If the child has been injured, he must make a full recovery before returning to sport.

It is inevitable that children play sports. In fact, there are many advantages to playing sports in general. The important thing is that parents are careful and take steps to make their children less prone to injury.