Common Injuries in Youth Sports

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Physical activity is important for a healthy lifestyle, and organized sports can help develop life skills such as communication, teamwork, and responsibility. The downside is that injuries can and do occur. Children and teens suffer about three million injuries due to sports or recreational activities every year, according to the CDC, and one in every five pediatric visits to the ER is for a sports or recreational injury. The good news is that about half of them are preventable.

Strategies for Preventing Injuries

No matter which sport your child plays, they can guard against injury by following these recommendations.

  • Avoid sport specialization at a young age. This can lead to overuse injuries.
  • Take time off between seasons and take rest days during the week.
  • Engage in proper warm-ups and cool-downs.
  • Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
  • Wear appropriate protective equipment.
  • Always be honest about injuries and allow for a full recovery before returning to your sport.

Sports-Specific Injuries

Baseball and Softball

Growth plate irritation and tendinitis

  • Follow pitch count rules.
  • Take days off during the week.
  • Learn proper throwing technique.

Basketball

Ankle sprains: Wear appropriate, well-fitting shoes.

Football

Concussions

  • Learn and follow proper tackling techniques.
  • Follow the rules of the game.

Lacrosse

Head and face injuries: Wear proper protective equipment including a helmet, mouth guard, and goggles.

Soccer

ACL tears: Consider an ACL prevention program to correct muscle imbalances and improve jumping and cutting skills.

Track and Field

Shin splints and stress fractures

  • Engage in a proper warm-up and cool-down.
  • Get conditioned before the first practice to avoid going from 0 to 100.
  • Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet to account for calories burned.

Volleyball

Shoulder injuries

  • Engage in a proper warm-up.
  • Strengthen your rotator cuff.

New Mexico Orthopaedics is a multi-disciplinary orthopedic clinic located in Albuquerque New Mexico. We have multiple physical therapy clinics located throughout the Albuquerque metro area.

New Mexico Orthopaedics offers a full spectrum of services related to orthopedic care and our expertise ranges from acute conditions such as sports injuries and fractures to prolonged, chronic care diagnoses, including total joint replacement and spinal disorders.

Because our team of highly-trained physicians specialize in various aspects of the musculoskeletal system, our practice has the capacity to treat any orthopedic condition, and offer related support services, such as physical therapy, WorkLink and much more.

If you need orthopedic care in Albuquerque New Mexico contact New Mexico Orthopaedics at 505-724-4300.