Sports injuries in children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sports Medicine
• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Sports Traumatology

Background:

• Children's sports injuries impact growing bone and soft tissues, potentially causing lifelong growth disturbances.
• Understanding injury incidence, distribution, physiology, and prevention is crucial for young athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the incidence, distribution, physiology, injury characteristics, and prevention of sports injuries in children.
• To highlight the unique aspects of pediatric sports injuries and their management.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search of Medline was conducted.
• Reference lists from relevant sports injury journals and textbooks were consulted.

Main Results:

• Bone biomechanical properties change significantly during growth, affecting injury patterns in young athletes.
• Increased bone stiffness and decreased impact resistance can lead to bowing or buckling fractures.
• Deformed fractures in children can remodel completely, with bones appearing normal later in life.

Conclusions:

• The majority of pediatric sports injuries are minor and self-limiting, suggesting overall safety in youth sports.
• Training programs must accommodate the physical and psychological immaturity of growing athletes.
• Adjusting training can help young athletes adapt to developmental changes and prevent growth disturbances.