Preventing Children's Sports Injuries

Participation in any sport, whether it's recreational bike riding or Pee-Wee football, can teach kids to stretch their limits and learn sportsmanship and discipline. But any sport that your child participates in also carries the potential for injury.

By knowing the causes of sports injuries and how to prevent them, you can help make athletics a positive experience for your child.

What Causes Sports Injuries Among Children?

Kids can be particularly susceptible to sports injuries for a variety of reasons. Kids, particularly those who are younger than 8 years old, are less coordinated and have slower reaction times than adults because they are still growing and developing.

In addition, kids mature at different rates. Often there's a substantial difference in height and weight between kids of the same age. And when kids of varying sizes play sports together, there may be an increased risk of injury.

As kids grow bigger and stronger, the potential for injury increases, largely because of the amount of force involved. For example, a collision between two 8-year-old Pee-Wee football players who weigh 65 or 70 pounds (30 or 32 kilograms) each does not produce as much force as that produced by two 16-year-old high school football players who may each weigh up to 200 pounds (91 kilograms).

Also, kids may not assess the risks of certain activities as fully as adults might. So they may unknowingly take risks that may cause them to get injured.

How Can Sports Injuries Be Prevented?

You may be able to help prevent your child from being injured by following some simple guidelines:

Use of Proper Equipment

It's important for your child to use the proper equipment and safety gear that is the correct size and fits well. For example, kids should wear helmets for baseball, softball, bicycle riding, and hockey. They also should wear helmets while they're in-line skating or riding scooters and skateboards. For racquet sports and basketball, you may want to find out about any protective eyewear, like shatterproof goggles. Ask your child's coach about the appropriate helmets, shoes, mouth guards, athletic cups and supporters, and padding for your child.

Protective equipment should be approved by the organizations that govern each of the sports. Hockey face masks, for example, should be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Bicycle helmets should have a safety certification sticker from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Also, all equipment should be properly maintained to ensure its effectiveness.

Maintenance and Appropriateness of Playing Surfaces

Check that playing fields are not full of holes and ruts that might cause kids to fall or trip. When your child is doing high-impact sports, like basketball and running, it's a good idea to do them on surfaces like tracks and wooden basketball courts, which can be more forgiving than surfaces like concrete.

Adequate Adult Supervision and Commitment to Safety

Any team sport or activity that your child participates in should be supervised by qualified adults. Select leagues and teams that have the same commitment to safety and injury prevention that you do.