Not every child knows what to look out for and speak up when they are hurt.
SAN ANTONIO — Most kids love being active, whether that be in a school sport, playing outside in the yard, or anything that may put stress on the body. But along with more activity comes a higher chance of an injury.
Sports injuries can range from minor sprains and strains to concussions and broken bones. Making sure your child is listening to their body is key to recognizing an injury before it gets worse. Dr. Christopher Case, a CHRISTUS Children’s pediatrician told us, “Generally the contact sports get a little bit more in terms of injuries. But I mean, you can get hurt in, in anything. Athletics kind of involves pushing yourself to the extreme sometimes.”
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health says in the U.S. about 30 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports. About one out of every three children injured do so while playing or practicing sports. And more than 775,000 children age 14 and younger are treated in emergency rooms for sports-related injuries every year. Dr. Case added, “The stress injuries that can take actually a while to heal, especially in some kids who may not be as willing to let something rest because now they’re fully i n their competition season.”
The sport with the most injuries is football with more than 215,000 children in ERs every year, then bicycling with 200,000, basketball comes in third with 170,000 children treated in ERs annually, and baseball and soccer come in fourth and fifth. Dr. Case told us, “Proper safety gear is important. It’s always sometimes hard for kids to wear the appropriate equipment, whether it’s putting in their mouth guard.”
Dr. Case also says to keep heat illnesses in mind. Temperatures may be cooling, but it doesn’t have to be in the triple digits or even 90s for a child to suffer some kind of heat injury.