Kids First Child Safety
Kids First Sports Safety, Inc. combines child safety, fundamentals, and fitness
with skills training in our programs.
Sports Activities
Each day, millions of youths in the United States and Canada participate in sports
activities, from soccer fields, to baseball diamonds.
It's called playing, but sports activities are more than play. Participation in athletics
improves physical fitness, coordination, and self-discipline, and gives children valuable
opportunities to learn teamwork.
Sports Activities can also result in injuries, some minor, some serious, and still others
resulting in lifelong medical problems.
Each year, more than 3.5 million sports-related injuries in children under age 15 are
treated in hospitals, doctors offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital
emergency rooms in the United States, according to the National Electronic Injry
Suveillance System of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The number
of sport-related injuries involving children ages 5 through 14 years includes:
Basketball - 574,000
Football - 448,200
Baseball - 252,665
Soccer - 227,100
Hockey - 80,700
Gymnastics - 75,000
Volleyball - 50,100
Reason for Concern
Youth Athletes are not merely small adults, their bones, muscles, tendons,
and ligaments are still growing, which makes them more susceptible to injury.
Types of Injuries
Injuries among young athletes fall into two basic categories: overuse injuries
and acute injuries. Both types include injuries to the safe (muscles and ligaments) and bones.
Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma. Common acute injruies among young
athletes includes contusions (bruises), sprains (a partial or complete tear of a ligament),
strains (a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon) and fractures. But not all injuries
are caused by a single, sudden twist, fall or collision. A series of small injuries to
immature bodies can cause minor fractures, minimal muscle tears, or progressive bone
deformities, known as overuse injuries.
As an example, "Little League Elbow" is the term used to describe a group of common
overuse injuries in young throwers involved in many sports, not just baseball. Other
common overuse injuries occur in the heels and knees with tears in the tissue where
tendons attach to the leg bone or the heel bone.
Contact sports have inherent dangers that put young athletes at special risk for
severe injuries. Even with rigorous training and proper safety equipment, youngsters
are at risk for severe injuries to the neck, spinal cord, and growth plates.
However, following the rules of the game and using proper equipment can decrease these risks.
Play It Safe
Young Athletes need proper training for sports. They should be encouraged to train for
the sport rather than expecting the sport itself to get them into shape. Many injuries
can be prevented if youths follow a regular conditioning program with incorporated exercises
designed specifically for their chosen sport. A well-structured, closely supervised
weight-training regimen may modestly help youngsters prepare for the athletic activities.
Young athletes should have their coaches help them design a conditioning program suited to their needs.
Parents should make sure theid child's coaches have the appropriate qualifications to supervise
a particular sport, provide well-maintained safety equipment, and help with proper conditioning for that sport.
An estimated 500,000 young athletes, boys and girls, use black-market anabolic steroids to
improve their athletic performance. Steroids have been shown to increase muscle mass, but
they can cause serious and potentially life-threatening complications and should be avoided.
Youth sports should always be fun. The "win at all costs" attitude of many parnets, coaches,
professional athletes, and peers can lead to injuries. A young athlete striving to meet the
unrealistic expectations of others may ignore the warning signs of injury and continue to play with pain.
Coaches and Parents can prevent injuries by fostering an atmosphere of healthy competition
that emphasizes self-reliance, confidence, cooperation, and a positive self-image, rather than just winning.