Sports Injury Facts
According to the National Athletic Trainers' Association:
According to SAFE KIDS USA:
- More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and under receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year.
- Injuries associated with participation in sports and recreational activities account for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States.
- Overuse injury, which occurs over time from repeated motion, is responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle-and high-school students. Immature bones, insufficient rest after an injury and poor training or conditioning contribute to overuse injuries among children.
- Most organized sports related injuries (62 percent) occur during practices rather than games. Despite this fact, a third of parents often do not take the same safety precautions during their child's practices as they would for a game.
- A recent survey found that among athletes ages 5 to 14, 15 percent of basketball players, 28 percent of football players, 22 percent of soccer players, 25 percent of baseball players and 12 percent of softball players have been injured while playing their respective sports.
- Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. The rate and severity of sports-related injury increases with a child's age.
According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program:
- In 2001, the number of sport-related injuries for each sport are as follows:
- Gymnastics — 99,722
- Basketball — 680,307
- Baseball — 170,902
- Softball — 118,354
- Football — 413,620
- Soccer — 163,003
- Volleyball — 55,860
- Track & Field — 15,113
- Hockey — 63,945
According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research Twentieth Annual Report:
- From 1982-2002, the total numbers of direct and indirect fatalities among high school athletes were:
- Baseball — 17
- Basketball — 88
- Cheerleading — 21
- Cross Country — 14
- Football — 22
- Soccer — 31
- Track & Field — 47
- Wrestling — 16
Preventing Soccer Injuries
The most effective way to prevent sports injuries is to make sure your child is coached by a qualified person, and preferably, one who is certified by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)
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Basic Weight Training & Conditioning for Children: A Must before Functional and “Structure” Power Training
Over the past ten years there has been a paradigm shift from the three-sport athlete to the one sport athlete. Training for one sport has now become a constant year round process. Because of this, problems arise because the body never really rests and therefore athletes are acquiring overuse syndromes resulting in injuries or even shortened careers, most of which, can be been prevented.
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Preventing Heat Exhaustion and Dehydration
Each year heat-related illness and dehydration syndromes affect thousands of athletes at all levels and continues to be among the leading causes of preventable sports injury and death
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