THE INCIDENCE OF SPORTS INJURIES AMONG SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

It is estimated that approximately one in ten school-aged children experience sports-related injuries annually. These injuries are most common at 12 years of age. Boys are more likely to get injured and more likely to get seriously injured than girls. The probability of injury is greater in contact or high-impact sports, with American soccer accounting for the largest number of injuries, followed by wrestling, basketball, soccer, and baseball. In certain sports, such as horseback riding, women are four times more likely to sustain injuries. The presented literature review details the incidence of various sports-related injuries in adolescents. Sports-related injuries observed in children under the age of 10 are nonspecific and include contusions, mild sprains, and fractures of the extremities, most commonly Salter-Harris fractures (growth plate fractures) or plastic fractures. In young athletes, sports-related injuries of the ligaments or muscles, as well as spinal or head injuries, are rare. This is particularly true during puberty, where growth plate fractures and musculoskeletal injuries occur more frequently.