Sports Injury Incidences

By Dennis O'Hara, DC, CCSP

As parents, most of us like to run our children to their respective sporting event(s). Sometimes this involves more than one sporting activity per season. In fact, most of my patients have their children in two to three sports per season.

I had done this myself with my son, although it didn't last for more than one season. In hindsight, I was trying to live my aspirations through my son's athletic abilities. It wasn't until he expressed his desire for one particular sport per season that I realized I needed to back off. He decided he would play football in the fall and run track in the spring.

When your child is choosing a sport, it is important for us as parents to be aware of the risks for injury. Nationwide, there are 30 million children in sports. The most popular sports for girls are basketball and volleyball. Boys' most popular sport is football, followed by baseball, and soccer running a close third.

Females' most common injuries are to the humerus and back; boys more frequent from collisions in sporting events. Nearly 94 percent of cases are due to improper equipment and 28 percent had previously had a sports related injury (SRI). Soccer has the least incidence of injury with injuries to the lower extremity being the most common. Basketball on the other hand has the most frequent causes of SRI with the risk of being injured in games being greater than practice.

Females are more likely to be injured and suffer knee and ankle injuries most frequently. Other more common sports related injuries occur in wrestling and rugby. Football related injuries vary with age and level of play with lower extremity injuries being most common and head injury incidence increasing with age, size, and speed. Injuries are more common in games than in practice as they usually come from tackling or being tackled.

When seeking a specialist for your sports related injury, it is important to consult a physician who specializes in sports medicine. For a chiropractor, this is considered post-graduate education. There are hundreds of hours of study involved and years of clinical experience that go into the chiropractic sports physician's training.

We conservatively approach the sports related injury by addressing the muscles, joints, neurologic, and biomechanical aspects of each case. When necessary, we will refer you to the proper medical specialist for consultation.