Children’s sports injuries are a natural risk of your son or daughter participating in physical activities. This is not to say that this risk outweighs the benefits of most sports—not in the least! However, the risk is still something to consider when it comes to preparing your child for play, whether it’s in school sports or leagues with Lancaster REC.
Taking the attitude that your athletic child will probably never get hurt is not going to prepare you for if he or she does. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 2.6 million children up to age 19 are treated in the ER for sports and activity-related injuries.
Of course, not all of these injuries deal with the foot and ankle. Having knowledge of the most common children’s sports injuries in this department, however, can help you reduce the likelihood that they will happen.
The most frequently seen sports injury in kids is probably no surprise: the ankle sprain. Strains to the tendons and muscles also rank highly, with the Achilles tendon a common source of trouble in the foot.
As your child develops, injuries to the growth plates are commonly seen. These are more sensitive areas on the ends of bones where tissue develops until maturity. Growth plate injuries to the heel bone (aka Sever’s disease) are frequent, but other bones in the foot can also be affected.
Other injuries are caused by overuse and repetition, such as from running too often and too intensely on hard surfaces without giving the body time to recover. Overuse injuries can include stress fractures along the bones and tendinitis.
For more advice on what you can do to help prevent sports injuries in your child, contact Martin Foot and Ankle at (717) 757-3537. Our offices in Hanover, Lancaster, Lititz, or York are ready to help.
