Raphael S. F. Longobardi, MD
Sports Medicine Specialist
Orthopaedic Surgeon

Pediatric Sports Related Injuries

What are the Most Common Sports-Related Injuries in Kids?
While sports injuries can range from scrapes and bruises to serious brain and spinal cord injuries, most fall somewhere between the two extremes. Here are some of the more common types of injuries:

• Sprains & Strains
• Growth Plate Injuries
• Repetitive Motion Injuries
• Heat-Related Injuries
  
  
  What is the difference between a SPRAIN and a STRAIN?
  A sprain is an injury to a ligament, one of the bands of tough, fibrous tissue that connects two or more bones at a joint and prevents excessive movement of the joint. Ankle sprains are the most common injury in the United States and often occur during sports or recreational activities.
  
  A strain is an injury to either a muscle or a tendon. A muscle is a tissue composed of bundles of specialized cells that, when stimulated by nerve messages, contract and produce movement. A tendon is a tough, fibrous cord of tissue that connects muscle to bone. Muscles in any part of the body can be injured.
  
  What are Growth Plate Injuries?
  In some sports accidents and injuries, the growth plate may be injured. The growth plate is the area of developing tissues at the end of the long bones in growing children and adolescents. When growth is complete, sometime during adolescence, the growth plate is replaced by solid bone. The long bones in the body include:
  The long bones of the hand and fingers (metacarpals and phalanges); both bones of the forearm (radius and ulna); the bone of the upper leg (femur); the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula); the foot bones (metatarsals and phalanges).
  If any of these areas become injured, it's important to seek professional help from an orthopaedic surgeon.

What is "Little Leaguer's Elbow?"
It is a condition that affects the growth plate of growing children.  Children who do excessive throwing (ie: pitching) develop a stress reaction of the growth plate on the inner aspect of the elbow (specifically, the medial epicondyle).  The injury or stress reaction is called an epiphysitis.  It is treated with a period of rest and physical therapy.

What are Repetitive Motion Injuries?
Painful injuries such as stress fractures (a hairline fracture of the bone that has been subjected to repeated stress) and tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon) can occur from overuse of muscles and tendons. Some of these injuries don't always show up on x-rays, but they do cause pain and discomfort. The injured area usually responds to rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE). Other treatments can include crutches, cast immobilization, and physical therapy.

What are Heat-Related Illnesses?
Heat-related illnesses include dehydration (deficit in body fluids), heat exhaustion (nausea, dizziness, weakness, headache, pale and moist skin, heavy perspiration, normal or low body temperature, weak pulse, dilated pupils, disorientation, and fainting spells), and heat stroke (headache, dizziness, confusion, and hot dry skin; possibley leading to vascular collapse, coma, and death) Heat injuries are always dangerous and can be fatal. Heat-related injuries are a particular problem for children because children perspire less than adults and require a higher core body temperature to trigger sweating. Playing rigorous sports in the heat requires close monitoring of both body and weather conditions. Fortunately, heat-related illnesses can be prevented.