What do I need to know about kids and sports injuries?
Playing sports is a great way for your child to stay fit and healthy, to learn about teamwork, make friends, and develop a sense of personal satisfaction. But kids' injuries from playing sports are on the rise. Check out this excellent guide from the National Institutes of Health on Childhood Sports Injuries and Their Prevention. It has tips on treating and avoiding sports injuries, and even has “scorecards” with information about specific sports.

More resources:

• The Young Athlete, from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), describes how young athletes are different, and what to watch out for with kids involved in sports.
• A Guide to Safety for Young Athletes, also from the AAOS, discusses reasons for concern, plus how to prevent injuries and play it safe. 

Most sports injuries can be prevented, even predicted! The first step in preventing sports injuries is finding out why sports injuries occur. Sports injuries are due to:

• Individual risk factors (such as medical conditions)
• Inadequate physical exams before participating (every child should get a sports-specific physical exam before each season)
• Lack of pre-season conditioning
• Lack of safety equipment, or poorly fitted, improper equipment
• Lack of proper eye protection
• Teaming up by age instead of size
• Unsafe playing fields, or surfaces
• Improper training or coaching, or lack of instruction
• Fatigue
• Not warming up or cooling down and stretching properly
• Playing while injured
• Stress and inappropriate pressure to win
• Temperature
• Poor nutrition or hydration

Are trampolines a safe recreational activity for kids?
Trampolines can be very dangerous. They should never be used at home, in gym classes, or on the playground. They should only be used in supervised training programs for competitive sports under the supervision of a professional trained in trampoline safety.

• More trampoline safety tips from the AAOS.

What about vitamins, drugs and supplements that are supposed to improve performance?
Here's some information from the American College of Sports Medicine:

• Vitamin and mineral supplements
• Creatine
• Steroids
• Chromium
• Info for teens on Sports Supplements

Where can I get more information about safety in specific sports?
Hockey:

• Be familiar with the Heads up, don't duck! campaign to prevent ice hockey spine injuries.
• The AAP has issued a press release on ice hockey safety and checking.

Soccer:

• Soccer safety, from SafeUSA.
• The AAP has issued a press release on soccer safety .
• Guidelines for moveable soccer goal safety, from the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC).

Football:

• Football safety (American) from SafeUSA. 

Basketball:

• Basketball safety from SafeUSA.

Baseball and Softball

• Baseball and softball safety from SafeUSA.

Where can I find out more about sports and safety?

Information:

• Current comment on Strength Training in Children and Adolescents from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
• For teens: Handling sports pressure and competition.
• Sports, food, and fitness topics for teens from Kidshealth.org.
• Safer Child has some good links relating to sports and recreation safety, including information on equestrian safety, camping, and winter sports safety.

Organizations:

• The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation is an educational organization dedicated to reducing kids' sports and fitness injuries.
• The National Center for Sports Safety seeks to promote the importance of injury prevention and safety on all levels of youth sports through education and research. The NCSS focuses on decreasing the number and/or severity of injuries through developing and teaching sports safety courses and collecting, analyzing and researching injury data.

Related topics on YourChild:

• Your Child: Sledding and Winter Sports Safety
• Your Child: Playground and Outdoor Play Safety
• Your Child: Recreational Vehicle Safety
• YourChild:  Safety Out and About (Biking, Walking, Skating, Skateboarding and Scooters)
• Your Child: Eating Disorders

Still have questions about this topic?  Go to our survey to ask your questions, and we’ll try to answer them on an upcoming YourChild podcast.

 

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Compiled by Kyla Boyse, R.N.  Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan.

Updated December 2006

U-M Health System Related Sites:
U-M Pediatrics

Our editorial policy
The information and links we provide are reviewed by University of Michigan developmental and behavioral pediatricians and child psychologists who are experts in child behavioral health. In choosing the links we provide, we use strict criteria to ensure that the information is accurate, and the source is reputable. As much as possible, we focus on information that is based on research. In areas where there is inadequate research, we include information compatible with prevailing expert opinion.

This website is updated regularly, but because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, we cannot be responsible for misinformation that may be accessed through the links provided. As always, this website is not a tool for self-diagnosis, and is not a substitute for professional care.

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