[Sports injuries among children]

In addition to the very positive effect of physical activity on health, sport is liable to cause injury and disability. In Israel, physical activity has become part of leisure time activity over the years. This combination has led to a consequential rise in the risk of injury. Most sport injuries are mild and do not require hospital treatment, but they may be severe and sometimes lead to hospitalization, permanent disability and even death. In 1995-6, there were 356 sports related injuries among children 5-17 years old, which were registered in the Israeli National Trauma Registry (INTR). These represented 8.8% of all injuries registered in the INTR for children of that age in 1995-6. In order to promote the prevention of sports related injuries, the magnitude of the problem must first be identified and the incidence and severity of the sports injuries described. In Israel there is no systematic surveillance of sports injuries, nor knowledge of the specific patterns of injury in Israel. In order to reduce the incidence and severity of sports injuries in Israel, there is a necessity to improve the level of information regarding such injuries through the establishment of a national sports injury surveillance system.