School Sports Injuries
According to statistics reported by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately two million high school students suffer school sports injuries every year. In addition, nearly twice as many children under the age of 14 seek medical care every year for sports-related injuries. The CDC also found that more than half of the sports-related injuries suffered by minors are preventable.
The Most Common Types of School Sports Injuries
Though minors and children can suffer a wide range of sports-related injuries, the most common incidents requiring medical attention involve:
- Injuries resulting from overuse—Children’s bodies are resilient, but also sensitive to repeated stress. School sports programs often fail to take this into consideration, with young athletes being coached to perform the same actions over and over. Overuse commonly leads to stress fractures, muscle injury, ligament or tendon damage. Such maladies as shin splints, shoulder pain (swimmers) and “baseball elbow” are common overuse injuries.
- Strains—Student athletes can often push (or be pushed) too hard, causing varying levels to damage to muscle fibers, from a mild strain to a complete tear of the muscle.
- Bruises or contusions—Even with protective equipment, contact sports often lead to serious bruises with large hematomas (collections of blood under the skin). These types of injuries can lead to loss of motion and even long-term disability.
- Ligament injuries—Ligament injuries include sprains and dislocations, and are less common in children due to the elastic nature of their ligaments. However, children and teens who have undergone a growth spurt can be particularly susceptible to ligament injuries.
- Fractures—With contact sports, the likelihood of a broken bone can be significant. Statistics show a 33% increase in fractures among adolescent athletes over the last two decades.
- Concussions—Concussions account for more than 10% of all school sports-related injuries, and have doubled nationally in the last decade. Though the more physical sports, such as football and hockey, have the greatest incidences of concussions, soccer basketball and baseball/softball also have significant concussion rates.
Contact Metzger & Kleiner
To schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyer, contact us by e-mail or call our office at 215-622-2210 in Philadelphia, 610-563-2186 in the Lehigh Valley, or toll free at 800-228-1760.
We take all school sports related injury claims on a contingency basis. We won’t charge attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.