Youth sports can be excellent for children. Not only are there well-studied benefits that sports provide to children in the form of improved cognitive development and physical growth to aid their developing bodies, but sports can be just plain fun.
Unfortunately, without proper precautions or even by accident or happenstance, your child could face youth sports injuries. Educating yourself on them is an excellent way to help mitigate those injuries. Here are some common youth sports injuries and what you can do about them.
Are Children More Susceptible to Sports Injuries?
Children often demonstrate recklessness and lack of awareness of their bodies which can put them in positions of greater injury risk. In addition, they have growth plates and areas of tissue at the end of bones that are places of new growth. Growth plates can be a potential weakness and are at increased risk of injury.
What Are Some Common Sports-Related Injuries in Children?
While injuries of any kind are possible in children, there are a few youth sports injuries that are more prevalent than others:
Fractures
Children tend to brace for falls in unfavorable positions, often with outreached hands, instead of trying to fall on their sides or bottoms. Not only are wrists generally weaker positions on the body, but on children’s bodies especially, wrists are a weak point. By teaching children proper ways to fall, fractures of the wrist and limbs can be lower in incidence.
Sprains and Strains
Because children may be unaccustomed to physical exertion, overuse injuries such as sprains and strains to ligament tissue can occur. In the United States, the time and energy children spend dedicated to youth sports has increased over the last few decades, meaning there is a greater risk of developing these overuse injuries. Ensuring your child practices proper technique and achieves adequate rest is important to mitigate tissue damage.
What You Should Do if Your Child Suffers a Sports Injury in Portland Metro Area?
Although continual practice and increased strength and proficiency in sports can help decrease the chance of injury, accidents may still happen. Scrapes and bruises, and sometimes even broken bones, are a normal part of sports. In the event of an injury, go to a capable and experienced team.
Go To Ortho has a team of capable and accomplished medical professionals, from orthopedic doctors to physical therapists, with proven experience providing care and solutions. We have on-site X-Rays and can help to diagnose faster.
For youth sports injury treatments, call 503-850-9950 to schedule an appointment today.
