School Sports: Common Injuries and How to Avoid Them

By Jennifer Lai, MD

Participating in school sports is generally a positive experience for children and teens. School-based sports programs can teach kids teamwork and social skills and bolster self-esteem. Unfortunately, with any type of athletic activity there’s always the potential for injury.

In the U.S., about 30 million kids and teens participate in school sports and more than 3.5 million kids 14 and younger get hurt every year while participating. Most of these injuries occur during sports practice.

Common Sports Injuries

The injuries that kids and teens sustain during sports are often different than those sustained by adult athletes because younger athletes are still growing, and their muscles and bones are still forming. School sports injuries typically fall under one of two categories: acute or overuse.

Acute injuries are those that are caused by sudden trauma, such as:

• Sprains and strains
• Bone fractures
• Concussions
• ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears

Acute injuries most often happen during competitive team sports and contact sports, such as football, basketball, and soccer.

Overuse injuries happen over time when a part of the body repeats the same movement over and over again. Examples of this type of injury in younger athletes include:

• Jumper’s knee – tenderness below the knee or in the upper shin
• Little Leaguer’s elbow or shoulder – pain in the elbow or shoulder
• Shin splints – pain and tenderness over the shin area
• Spondylolisthesis/spondylosis – back pain caused by excessive extension of the lower back

Overuse injuries most often happen during activities that involve repetitive movements, such as baseball, track and field, swimming, cheerleading, and gymnastics.

Preventing Sports Injuries

While there’s no way to completely prevent sports injuries, there are measures parents and kids can take to make injuries less likely.

• Be prepared. Your child’s highest risk of sustaining an athletic injury is when they start a new sport. To lessen this risk, make sure your child is in good enough condition physically to participate in the sport they’ve chosen. Most schools require students to have a sports exam or annual physical before they participate in school sports. Even if your school doesn’t require this, it’s a good idea for your child to get a physical to ensure they’re fit to participate.
• Start slowly. If your child is new to regular physical activity or they’re starting a new sport, they should start slowly, gradually increasing the duration, intensity, and frequency of the activity for proper conditioning. Encourage them to not push themselves to be a star athlete right out of the gate. It takes a lot of time and practice to excel at a sport.
• Know the rules and techniques. This is especially important for younger kids who are new to playing sports and may not yet understand that proper technique is crucial to preventing injury. When they’re at home, review the rules and techniques they learned while at practice and encourage them to talk to their coach if they need any help.
• Use the right gear. Having the right equipment for a sport, from shoes to protective gear, is key to avoiding injury. If financially possible, it’s best to not scrimp on safety equipment because it may break during play and lead to injury. Your child should also know how to properly wear and use the equipment.
• Rest up. Injuries are more likely to happen when your athlete is tired, so make sure they’re getting an appropriate amount of sleep. Also, teach them to know their limits and to rest between practices and games so their body can recover.
• Stay hydrated. Make sure your child has easy access to water and/or sports drinks with electrolytes during sports practice and games. Endurance, strength, agility, and reaction time begin decreasing with as little as 2% dehydration, so staying hydrated reduces your child’s risk of injury.
• Take breaks. It’s not only important for your child to take breaks during practice and between practices, but also between seasons. It’s great if your child is interested in playing more than one sport, but it may be too taxing on their body to immediately go from one sport to another. Make sure they’re physically ready to take on another activity before agreeing to it.

If your child is injured while participating in school sports, make sure they’re following all of the care instructions provided by their coach or trainer and that they don’t return to play until their concussion is suspected, or if your child’s pain persists, see a doctor as soon as possible to get proper care and to rule out a more serious issue.