Sports injuries in children
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010.
Abstract:
More children are participating in organized sports than ever before. Although improved coaching, equipment, officiating, and rules have been implemented to reduce injuries, a significant number of young athletes continue to be injured. Fortunately, most injuries sustained by young athletes are minor requiring only symptomatic treatment. However, because of the unique features of the immature skeleton, particularly the presence of open physes, these injuries can nonetheless result in permanent alteration of bone growth with long-term morbidity and disability. Furthermore, the prognosis and natural history of sports injuries in children may be different than that for similar injuries in adults. It is important that the practitioner dealing with young athletes be aware of the unique features of children's sports injuries so that proper treatment may be initiated and prognosis and expected outcome may be intelligently discussed with the patient and parents. This review provides current information regarding sports injuries in children by summarizing the most recent pertinent articles.
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