Sports Injuries in Children: How to Keep Your Child Safe

What are the Most Common Risk Factors in Youth Sports?

As your child grows, their growth plates, located at the ends of their bones, are less stable and more prone to fractures or overuse injuries. Generally, girls between the ages of 11-12 and boys from 12-14 are at the highest risk for growth plate fractures, especially during growth spurts.

What are the Most Common Sports Injuries in Kids?

While certain types of injuries are unique to the sports your child is playing, some of the most common sports injuries in children include:

• Concussions, either from a direct hit to the head or a sudden change in direction. Concussion symptoms include headache, fatigue, sensitivity to light, nausea and trouble concentrating.

• Fractures, including stress fractures

• Joint dislocations

• Ligament tears or sprains

• Muscle or tendon strains

• Shin splints

• In rare cases, serious conditions like cardiac arrest

These injuries can occur suddenly, however overuse injuries develop over time and require different preventive measures.

What are Overuse Injuries in Young Athletes?

As opposed to acute injuries, which happen immediately, overuse injuries in youth sports are caused by repeated motions over time that lead to injury. These injuries often occur when your child’s body doesn’t have a chance to rest and recover. In children with overuse injuries, pain often increases with activity.

Common overuse injuries include:

• Achilles tendonitis

• Back pain

• Heel pain

• Hip pain, particularly in dance, gymnastics, cheer and running

• Knee pain or jumper’s knee (patellar tendonitis)

• Shin splints

• Stress fractures

• Tennis elbow

• Throwing injuries, particularly in the shoulder and elbow[KM6]

• Wrist pain, particularly in gymnastics and cheer

The first line of treatment for overuse injuries is RICE for the affected area:

• Rest

• Ice

• Compression

• Elevation

If your child is still experiencing pain, their doctor may recommend athletic training or physical therapy to help stretch and strengthen the injured area. Moving forward, coaches and trainers should incorporate load management, which limits training time and encourages adequate rest.

Acute vs. Overuse Injuries

Understanding the difference can help you respond quickly and appropriately.

How to Prevent Sports Injuries in Children

1. Get your child’s pre-participation sports physical exam, as well as any annual wellness exams, to make sure they’re ready for each sports season.

2. Confirm your child has age-appropriate coaching and physical conditioning. Conditioning should be specific to your child’s sport. For example, you might consider an ACL tear prevention program or Children’s Nebraska’s Performing Arts Program.

3. Teach your child proper technique, to follow guidelines (such as pitch counts in Little League) and to play by the rules to keep your child and others safe.

4. Have the right equipment and protective gear specific to your child’s sport, including proper-fitting footwear. Help your child learn how the equipment works and see a specialist, if needed, for fitting.

5. Remind your child to warm up and cool down before and after practices and games.

6. It’s important to get in shape for practice and not use practice to get in shape.

7. Help your child get proper nutrition and stay hydrated.

8. Encourage your child to play multiple sports to prevent overuse injuries. Avoid specializing in one sport too early. Mix up their practice schedule to avoid repetitive motions, such as throwing the same pitch or hitting the same tennis shot over and over again.

9. Make sure your child rests at least one day per week and for a longer time between each sports season.

Check in with your child and encourage them to be open with you about injuries. Remember, youth sports should be fun, and they shouldn’t play if it’s painful.

When Should I Take My Child to a Doctor for a Sports Injury?

See a doctor for your child’s sports injury if:

• You suspect a concussion or other head or neck injury

• Your child has severe pain, swelling or a limp

• The pain doesn’t go away within a couple of days

Speak with an orthopedic or sports medicine specialist to find the safest way to return to sport after an injury.

Michael's Story: Specialized Sports Medicine, Therapy for Teen Athletes

When Creighton Prep basketball and baseball player Michael tore his ACL last winter, his parents were flooded with options. Concerned his growth plates may still be open, they turned to the Sports Medicine team at Children's. Following ACL reconstructive surgery, the Sports Medicine team connected Michael with the sports physical therapy team to streamline and speed up his recovery.

Learn more

Who Should I Call if I’m Concerned About a Sports Injury?

Children’s Nebraska offers expert, specialized care in adolescent sports prevention and treatment. If you have further questions regarding injury prevention or are concerned about the severity of an injury, contact Children’s Nebraska Sports Physical Therapy or Sports Medicine.