Survey: 1 in 3 Kids Hurt Playing Sports

Simple Prevention Can Help Kids Play It Safe

WebMD—April 24, 2012

About 1 in 3 kids who plays sports will need medical attention due to injuries sustained on the field or court, such as concussions, broken bones, and dehydration, a new survey shows.

The new survey was commissioned by Safe Kids Worldwide and Johnson & Johnson. It includes data on sports injuries and attitudes about prevention from 516 children ages 8-18 who played several sports, as well as 750 parents and 752 coaches.

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Overuse Injuries in Children

The rise in overuse injuries in kids is due to early specialization in one sport and year-round sports, says Jordan Metzl, MD. He is a sports medicine doctor at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. "Your injury rate goes up if you only play one sport."

For example, year-round baseball players tend to get shoulder and elbow injuries at a much higher rate than kids who play different sports throughout the year.

Kids should never play through pain, he says.

"Sports specialization has made some kids excellent at certain sports and alienated certain kids who aren't as good," he says. "Sports for kids should be about fun, activity, and exercise, and if they are getting hurt or not having fun, they will become discouraged."

This is particularly important due the high rates of childhood obesity and an inactive lifestyle. "We know that kids who are involved in sports do better in school, have higher self-esteem, do better with friends, and end up being healthy adolescents and adults," Metzl says.

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