Game On: Tips for Preventing Youth Sport Injuries
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Game On: Tips for Preventing Youth Sport Injuries

According to the National Council of Youth Sports, roughly 60 million children are registered to play youth sports in the U.S. Of them, an estimated  3.5 million, aged 14 and younger, get hurt annually participating sports and more than 775,000 go to the emergency rooms due to those injuries.

But before you reconsider signing your child up for whatever sport season is next, consider this:

50% of youth sports injuries are preventable.

Injury Insight

62% of organized sports-related injuries occur during practice rather than games.

 

 To keep your athlete safe, follow these injury prevention tips:

  1. Get Regular Health Check-ups
    Regular check-ups—especially pre-season—are essential to monitoring overall health and spotting and address any potential concerns that might contribute to an injury.

  2. Use Appropriate Equipment
    Properly fitted, sport-specific protective gear such as helmets, pads, and shoes are must-haves for every athlete. Don’t use equipment it if it has missing or broken buckles or compressed or worn padding as it likely won’t fit well and  may not offer proper protection.

  3. Warm-up Before Playing
    Stretching before exercise has proven to be even more important for preventing injury. Stretching helps loosen muscles and readies them for play. Athletes should stretch each of the major lower body muscle groups before and after sporting activity. Click here for a series of stretches from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

  4. Practice Proper Training and Technique
    Using proper form and technique can significantly reduce the risk of both acute and overuse injuries for every sport. Make sure your child has qualified and age-appropriate instruction no matter their sport.

  5. Stress the Importance of Hydration and Nutrition
    Keeping a body properly hydrated and well-fueled through diet and nutrition is essential to both performance and recovery. Encourage athletes to drink water throughout the day, not just at games or practice. For intense workouts or games, provide electrolyte-rich drinks.

Discourage eating sugary snacks, fast food, and sugary beverages that can lead to energy crashes.  Strive for a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates. For ideas on what to eat on competition days, click here

  1. Emphasize Rest and Recovery
    As passionate as your young athlete might be about their chosen sport, it’s important to encourage adequate rest between practices and games.

  2. Play the Field

Many kids like to play sports year-round, which makes overuse a common cause of injury. Doing the same motions year-round puts wear and tear on developing muscles, tendons, and bones. Playing a variety of sports works to develop different fundamental skills. In fact, studies of college-level and Olympic athletes found that the majority of them played multiple sports growing up and did not specialize early.

 

Youth Sports and Consequences

According to the National Health Statistics Reports, these are the activities responsible for the most emergency room visits for sports injuries among patients aged 5-29.

AGES 5-9

Playground                              23.1%

Cycling                                    13.8%

Gymnastics/Cheerleading        9.3%

Running or Jogging                  8.4%

AGES 10-14

Football            19.9%

Basketball        13.0%

Cycling             10.1%

Soccer              7.4%

AGES 15-19

Basketball        16.6%

Football           16.2%

Soccer              9.3%

Cycling             7.3%

 

Even with best practices and an abundance of caution, injuries can still happen. If your child is experiencing consistent pain during or after sports or swelling around a joint that doesn’t respond to rest or ice, reach out to their doctor for an appointment. Playing through with an injury can lead to more damage and longer recovery time. 


Jennifer LaChance, PA-C, is an orthopedic associate at SVMC Orthopedics in Bennington, VT and Northern Berkshire Orthopedics in Williamstown, MA.

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Six Questions with the Medical Director of SVMC Orthopedics

Dr. Michaela Schneiderbauer, medical director of orthopedics and orthopedic surgeon, answers six questions about getting orthopedic care right now.

1. What types of patients are you able to treat right now?

We are happy to see patients with all sorts of conditions returning to the practice for care. Patients have heard that the Governor has lifted restrictions for elective procedures, and they are ready to investigate their options for joint pain relief. Plus, the weather is getting nice again, so people are active outside. We've seen an increase in injuries related to outdoor activity, too.


2. Are you seeing patients remotely via telemedicine?

Yes. We offer telemedicine, and we use it a lot. Of course, there are limitations for those that need an X-ray or a physical exam. But telemedicine is a great option for initial visits when we need to collect patients' health history and for follow-ups.


3. How has care in the office changed over the past several months?

Patients will notice that we have gone beyond all of the Centers for Disease Control and Vermont Department of Health recommendations for office visits. All of our staff are wearing masks and shields or goggles, and patients are expected to wear a cloth face covering when they come in. In addition, we are making efforts to limit the number of people in our waiting rooms and office at any one time. For example, part of the check-in process now happens on the phone, instead of in person.


4. How is preparing for a surgery and recovering from a surgery different since COVID-19 became a concern?

Like for office visits, our pre-surgery processes have all been ramped up well beyond the state and national recommendations designed to decrease risk of contracting COVID-19. A few days before the surgery, we test patients for COVID-19 and ask them to self-quarantine until their procedure. The patient arrives to the hospital in their own cloth face covering. Visitors are limited. After the procedure, we provide patients with an app that allows them to note their temperature and any type of respiratory symptoms for a few weeks. If any of the information falls outside the norm, a nurse gives the patient a call. These are all examples of ways we are going beyond our very high infection-prevention standards to ensure safety for patients, their families, and our staff.


5. What would you like to share with people who postponed a joint replacement or other orthopedic care because of COVID-19?

Here in Vermont cases of COVID-19 cases have been relatively low. The Governor has given his approval by lifting restrictions for elective procedures, even those requiring an overnight hospital stay. SVMC started with an exceptionally low rate of hospital-acquired infections and added many extra precautions on top of that. We have the attitude that it is definitely safe to resume care both surgeries and other types of orthopedic care.


6. What are the greatest risks and rewards related to having orthopedic care now?

From our position as one of the safest hospitals in one of the safest states, the risks of contracting COVID-19 and other illnesses during a procedure or other care are very low. Many patients know this. They are coming in for their procedures and joint replacements. Many of them will recover and be active again in time to really enjoy this summer. That’s our goal: to help every patient resolve their orthopedic issues so that they can get back to doing the things they love.

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