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School sports injuries nothing to cheer aboutOrthopaedic Surgeons want you to play it safe this school year
ROSEMONT, Ill. Heading back to school is an exciting event for children; many will make decisions to join sport teams or engage in recreational activities. Moms and dads spend hundreds of dollars on equipment needed to participate; but are these young sport enthusiasts prepared to meet an injury head-on? The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons wants students to play it safe during school sports.
"All major fall sports and recreational activities including cheerleading have potential benefits and dangers," stated Joseph J. Marotta, MD, Albany, N.Y. In his practice as a sports fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Marotta sees first hand the injuries to arms, legs, necks and backs. Football, a popular fall sport for all age groups, is relatively safe with fewer of the major injuries to the knees and shoulders as seen in older teenagers and adults. The injury risks are comparable to soccer, for children under 14. "The risk of injury for young children who participate in football is low because they are not as large or as powerful as older children. As a child grows, they become stronger, faster and play more aggressively," said Dr. Marotta. "As children start to mature physically, the risks of injuries increase. For example, injuries to the shoulders, such as separations and dislocations are more common in older children because they hit harder."
Cheerleading can be similar to gymnastics; stressing strength, coordination and flexibility. If done aggressively with vaulting and tumbling, serious, and even catastrophic injuries can occur. "If a cheerleader falls from the top of a pyramid formation and lands incorrectly, the results can be as simple as an ankle sprain or as devastating as cervical fracture and paralysis, said Dr. Marotta.
Other fall sports such as soccer, cross country running and field hockey offer excellent benefits; cardiovascular conditioning, endurance training and high fitness potential. The injury risks are low to moderate for these sports if care is taken to avoid overly aggressive training and participation. Dr. Marotta said that parents and coaches should be particularly careful not to push young children beyond the limits of their comfort. "Young children are still growing and overuse can affect proper bone development. There is no way to completely eliminate all risk potential in these sports and activities; however, specific strategies are available to minimize the chance of getting hurt while maximizing the enjoyment of participation," added Dr. Marotta.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers the following guide for parents and coaches before children start any fall sport.* Insure your child"s program is staffed by a trained coach. * Practice sessions should incorporate conditioning/warm-up and cool-down periods with ample rest periods and water breaks to prevent dehydration and overheating.* Discourage dangerous tactics of play, and risky techniques. Strictly enforce appropriate rules to minimize overuse of growing bones.* Never push children beyond the point of safety, physically or emotionally.* Equipment and facilities must be adequately maintained and used appropriately. Protective equipment such as padding, headgear, mouth guards and cups, must fit properly and their use strictly enforced.* Coaches must learn to recognize early signs of pain and dysfunction.* Each child should have a pre-season physical.* Exercise and pre-season conditioning is suggested to help the student prepare for the activity. A well conditioned, well prepared athlete will fatigue less quickly, thereby reducing the risk of injury.* Assess your knowledge of sports/recreational injury prevention by taking the Academy"s on-line survey at www.aaos.org. Click on consumer survey on the home page.
Adequate preparation, an appropriate attitude and a little common sense can go a long way in maximizing fun and minimizing risk on the field this fall.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports 176,904 fractures, dislocations and strains/sprains related to football among children age 5-18 were treated at hospitals, doctor"s offices, clinics, hospital emergency rooms and ambulatory surgery centers in the year 2000 at a cost of $8.1 billion. The same age group had 232,223 musculoskeletal injuries related to soccer, at a cost of $3.3 billion; 21,067 musculoskeletal injuries related to cheerleading, at a cost of $282.6 million; 6,789 injuries related to field hockey, costing $64.3 million. For a break down of various fall sports injuries per age group, go to the Academy Web site at www.aaos.org in the Public and Media Relations newsroom. Click the words Prevent Injuries America! you"ll find a fact sheet on fall sports injuries.An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical doctor with extensive training in the diagnosis and nonsurgical as well as surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.
The 25,500 member American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org) or (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org), is a not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals and the public.
An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade (www.boneandjointdecade.org), the global initiative in the years 2000-2010 to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve people"s quality of life.
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