Most Common Sports-Related Injuries in a Pediatric Emergency Department

Abstract

Football and basketball related injuries are common complaints in a pediatric Emergency Department. Frequently seen injuries include CHI, fractures and lacerations. In our institution, fractures were more prevalent among football players and CHI was more prevalent among organized sports participants.

Epidemiology of sports-related injuries in children and youth presenting to Canadian emergency departments from 2007–2010

“…Several studies that have examined the nature of sport-related injuries among youth reported that fractures were most frequently evaluated in the emergency departments [1,5,10,17]. A study performed by Taylor and Attia in 2000 showed that fractures accounted for 29.4% of all sports-related diagnoses [15].…”

“…However, it remains unclear whether males or females are more likely to sustain SRIs and how these injuries vary by sport. In the United States, football, basketball and baseball cause the greatest number of sports-related injuries in children but this varies by age, sex, and sport [5,7-10]. …”

Stopping sports injuries in kids

“…Participation in athletics can be of enormous physiologic and psychological benefit, potentially of lifelong effect. However, sports and recreational activities include a certain amount of risk of injury; over 4 million sports or recreational injuries are sustained by school-age children in the USA every year [2]. Pediatric and adolescent athletes differ from adults in several important ways that likely contribute to injury susceptibility: decreased balance and coordination as well as inflexibility while bone growth outpaces that of muscle and tendon, open physes, and growing cartilage [3].…”

Sports Injuries

“…It is estimated that over four million sports or recreational injuries occur in children and young adults each year in the United States [ 1 ]. These include elbow, shoulder, and hip disorders, back pain, and concussions, among others.…”