Spike in Children's Sports-Related Injuries
The number of childern playing organized sports is on the rise. With this is a rise in the number of children injuried playing sports with more than 3.5 million children under age 14 treated in emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year. Leading NY-area orthopaedist Kevin Plancher, MD, discusses causes, treatment and prevention.
Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Greenwich, CT and New York, NY (PRWEB) March 1, 2005 -- In roughly three out of every four American households with school-aged children, the usual dollhouses, bookshelves and video games are sharing more and more space with a growing collection of sports gear and equipment, from soccer balls to softball. Thats because the number of children participating in organized sports activities has been steadily skyrocketing in the U.S., with more than 30 million children playing an organized sport last year alone.
Also rising is the number of children who are injured each year playing sports. More than 3.5 million children under age 14 are treated in Emergency Rooms for sports-related injuries each year, with countless others treated in pediatric and/or orthopaedic practitioners offices as well. According to Kevin Plancher, M.D., a leading NY-area orthopaedist and official orthopaedic surgeon of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams, many of these injuries can be prevented, or their severity reduced, when parents, coaches, athletes and healthcare practitioners work as a team.
Participation in organized sports is so beneficial to children," Dr. Plancher notes. Its great for their physical fitness, their coordination and even their self-esteem. But each of these benefits can be outweighed by the risks when student athletes are unprepared, unprotected or uninformed about the game theyre playing," he adds.
In preparing children to play organized sports, for instance, Dr. Plancher encourages parents and coaches to take the focus off of competition and place it on learning the fundamentals of the sport. Its important to remember that children are still growing, both physically and cognitively, and often cannot perform competitively. This is why they are at greater risk than adults for sports injuries, because they are unable to assess risk appropriately, and because their coordination, reaction times and accuracy are still undeveloped."
In taking the pressure to win or compete off of children, Dr. Plancher says, parents and coaches can also help prevent overuse injuries." Accounting for nearly half of all injuries to middle and high-school students, overuse injuries result when an original injury is not given the proper amount of time to heal before being reintroduced to the sport. Children who have an extreme outlook on the importance of sports, particularly on the competition or personal performance aspects of sports, are less likely to give an injury adequate time to heal and strengthen, resulting in an overuse injury," Dr. Plancher explains.
Protection is also key to safety for children playing an organized sport. Dr. Plancher explains, Many parents and coaches do not realize that more than 60 percent of all sports-related injuries occur during practice, not during games," he reveals, adding, This indicates that children are not as well protected during practice sessions as they are at gametime." It is imperative that children wear all appropriate protective gear for their sport, and follow all safety rules and procedures, for practices and games alike.
Finally, Dr. Plancher urges parents and coaches to become as informed as possible about the risks associated with each sport their children play, and about how proper precautions, protective equipment and safe playing environment can reduce those risks. Whats more, he details the steps parents and coaches can take when an injury does occur to lessen its severity and improve recovery time:
- Recognize the injury: In their zeal to continue playing, children may downplay an injury, which can lead to further injury. A child who may have been injured should be removed from play and evaluated immediately; if theres any question as to the severity of an injury, the child should be seen by an orthopaedist or at the local ER before he or she resumes play.
- RICE the injury: Beginning at the first sign of injury, the affected area should be treated with Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE). Every team should have a first aid kit stocked with ice packs and compression bandages for possible sprains and strains, along with antiseptic wash and sterile bandages and tape for cuts and scrapes.
- Respect the injury: Orthopaedists are expert in determining not only the proper diagnosis and treatment of sports-related injuries, but also the recovery time -- which can vary widely depending upon the severity and location of the injury, and a number of factors relating to the individual child. Respecting the injury, and allowing it to fully heal, will go a long way toward rebuilding a childs confidence in his or her own body and preventing a reinjury at the same site," Dr. Plancher notes.
Bio:
Kevin D. Plancher, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.O.S, is a leading orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine expert with extensive practice in knee, shoulder, elbow and hand injuries. Dr. Plancher is an Associate Clinical Professor in Orthopaedics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NY. He is on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Journal of Medicine and Sports.
A graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr.Plancher received an M.S. in Physiology and an M.D. from their school of medicine (cum laude). He did his residency at Harvard's combined Orthopaedic program and a Fellowship at the Steadman-Hawkins clinic in Vail, Colorado where he studied shoulder and knee reconstruction. Dr.Plancher continued his relationship with the Clinic for the next six years as a Consultant. Dr. Plancher has been a team physician for over 15 athletic teams, including high school, college and national championship teams. Dr.Plancher is an attending physician at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City and The Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT and has offices in Manhattan and Greenwich, Connecticut.
Dr.Plancher lectures extensively domestically and internationally on issues related to Orthopaedic procedures and injury management. During 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 Dr.Plancher was named among the Top Doctors in the New York Metro area and was the New York State Representative for the Council of Delegates to the American Academy of Orthopaedic surgeons. For the past six years Dr.Plancher has received the Order of Merit (Magnum Cum Laude) for distinguished Philanthropy in the Advancement of Orthopaedic Surgery by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation. In 2001, he founded "The Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles", a non-profit foundation focused on maintaining and enhancing the physical well-being of active individuals through the development and promotion of research and supporting technologies. www.plancherortho.com.
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