Preventing Sports Injuries in Kids

Sports give kids a lot: strong bodies, friends, and a place to learn how to win and lose. They also come with bumps, sprains and the occasional trip to the doctor. You cannot remove every risk, and you would not want to. But a few habits at home and on the field can prevent many of the injuries we see in young athletes, especially the slow-building ones that come from doing too much, too soon.

Why growing bodies get hurt differently

Children are not small adults. Their bones are still growing from soft areas near the ends called growth plates, and these spots are weaker than the ligaments and tendons around them. A fall that might sprain an adult's ankle can injure a child's growth plate instead. Muscles and tendons also tighten up during growth spurts, which can make a child less flexible for a few months and more likely to strain something.

Warm up before, cool down after

Cold muscles are easier to pull. A good warm-up takes about 10 minutes and gets the body moving the way the sport will ask it to:

• Light jogging or jumping jacks to raise the heart rate
• Moving stretches like leg swings, arm circles and walking lunges
• Sport-specific drills at half speed, such as easy throws or short sprints

After practice, a few minutes of slow movement and gentle stretching helps the body settle down. Many teams build this in. If yours does not, your child can do it on the sideline.

Overuse injuries: the ones that sneak up

Not every sports injury comes from a hard hit or a bad landing. Overuse injuries happen when the same motion is repeated so often that tissues do not get time to recover. Common examples include:

• Elbow and shoulder pain in young pitchers and other throwing athletes
• Heel pain in active kids during growth spurts (often called Sever's disease)
• Pain just below the kneecap in jumping and running sports (Osgood-Schlatter disease)
• Stress fractures in the foot or shin, especially in runners and dancers

The warning sign is pain that keeps coming back with activity, or pain that starts earlier in each practice. Kids often hide it because they do not want to miss a game. Ask directly, and make it clear that speaking up will not get them in trouble.

Rest is part of training

The AAP encourages young athletes to take at least one or two days off from organized sports each week and to take a few months off from any single sport over the course of a year, in shorter breaks. Rest does not have to mean the couch. Bike rides, swimming or just playing outside all count, as long as they give the overworked parts a break.

For throwing sports, follow your league's pitch count and rest-day rules. They exist because young arms are easy to overload.

Play more than one sport

It is tempting to have a talented child focus on one sport year-round. For most kids, waiting until the teen years to specialize is the safer choice. Playing different sports uses different muscles and movements, which spreads the load across the body. It also lowers the chance of burnout, and many kids build better overall skills this way.

Gear that fits

Protective gear only works if it fits and is worn every time:

• Helmets for football, baseball and softball batting, hockey, lacrosse, biking and skating. Replace any helmet that has taken a hard hit or is cracked.
• Mouth guards for contact sports and any sport where a ball or stick could hit the face.
• Shoes made for the sport, replaced when the tread wears down or your child outgrows them.
• Eye protection where the sport calls for it, and sports goggles for kids who wear glasses.
• Pads and guards such as shin guards for soccer and catcher's gear for baseball.

Hand-me-down gear is fine if it still fits and is in good shape. Check it at the start of each season.

Heat illness: a real risk in Texas

In San Antonio, fall football and summer camps often run in serious heat. Children can get heat exhaustion or heatstroke faster than many parents expect, especially in pads and helmets. To lower the risk:

• Send a full water bottle and have your child drink before, during and after practice, not just when thirsty.
• Choose light-colored, loose clothing when the sport allows it.
• Ask how the team handles heat: water breaks, shade, and changing practice times on the hottest days.
• Give kids time to adjust. The first hot weeks of the season are the riskiest.

Warning signs of heat illness include heavy sweating, dizziness, headache, nausea, cramps, and unusual tiredness. Move a child with these signs to shade, cool them with water and fans, and give fluids if they are alert. Confusion, fainting, or hot skin with a very high temperature can mean heatstroke. Call 911 and start cooling right away.

Concussion basics

A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow to the head or body that shakes the brain. A child does not have to pass out to have one. Signs include headache, dizziness, confusion, trouble remembering what happened, sensitivity to light or noise, nausea, and just "not feeling right."

The most important rule is simple: when in doubt, sit them out. A child with a suspected concussion should stop playing that day and should not go back until a health care provider clears them. Returning too soon raises the risk of a second, more serious injury. You can read more on concussion from MedlinePlus.

A few more habits that help

Good sleep, regular meals, and letting an injury fully heal before returning all lower the risk of getting hurt. The AAP's sports injury articles on HealthyChildren.org and MedlinePlus on sports injuries are good places to learn more.

When to call us

Call your A thru Z Pediatrics office if your child has pain that keeps coming back with activity, limps, has swelling that does not improve in a day or two, or may have had a concussion. We can also help you plan a safe return to play after an injury.

Call 911 or go to the ER if your child loses consciousness, has a seizure, is confused or very drowsy after a head injury, has neck pain after a hit, has a bone that looks bent or out of place, or shows signs of heatstroke.

Have a question or want your child checked? Request a visit.