Having 4 kids that are active in sports,we’ve had a few sprains and broken bones in our household over the years. One of the offices my kids have been patients at is the Southern California Orthopedic Institute or SCOI for short,as it’s called by the locals. (Not to get off on a tangent but,the first time my husband had the opportunity to take one of the kids to SCOI he walked into the office and asked for Dr. Scoi and they looked at him as if he had three heads! Chalk that one up to a stupid dad moment!)
Anyway,I received an email from SCOI the other day and it contained the the following article and I thought it was worth passing on…
Youth sports provide young people with several benefits including,but not limited to,physical conditioning,the chance to socialize with friends and teammates,and a decrease in obesity. Unfortunately,there are also several risks involved with sports. A new study presented at The American Academy of Pediatrics’ annual meeting showed that knee injuries from sports among young athletes are increasing at an alarming rate.
Scientists are not certain as to the cause of the increase in ACL tears in young athletes,but many physicians suggest several potential factors. Today,children often watch professional athletes on TV and aspire to be more like them. In hopes of achieving their dreams,children may push themselves or feel pressured to play sports at competitive levels,typically choosing multiple sports to participate in. As one sports’ season ends,another one begins,or for some children,their season never ends as they continually play a sport year-round. Therefore not allowing time for a child’s growing body to rest and recuperate.
“Twenty years ago,children were not playing sports at such intense levels,”explains Dr. Joseph P. Burns,sports medicine specialist at Southern California Orthopedic Institute. “As a result,their knees rarely had to endure the kinds of repeated twists and hard hits that young players regularly experience today.”
Rest is always best between sports,but if your child suffers an injury,it’s important to treat it appropriately from the beginning to help them return to play safely. If a knee injury is keeping your son or daughter off the playing field or court,please call (877) 952-8484 today to schedule an appointment with one of our sports medicine specialists.
www.mommywarriors.com
