Although playing a sport is often considered to be a rite of passage as well as an American tradition, parents often experience an interesting juxtaposition of swelling pride and impending dread as their child walks up to bat, heads out on the field, or runs onto the court. That's because sports injuries are extremely common -- and are often extremely traumatic. But after careful analysis, experts say there may be a simple (yet seemingly counterproductive) way to prevent them: by playing more sports.
That advice might seem strange, given the prevalence of sports injuries among young Americans. According to the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, more than
3.5 million children under the age of 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries on an annual basis. And while only
3% of all patients who go to urgent care need to be diverted to an emergency department, children between the ages of five and 14 account for almost 40% of all sports-related injuries that are treated in U.S. hospitals. The statistics aren't much better among older teens; high school athletes sustain an estimated 2 million injuries -- and subsequently make 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 stays in the hospital -- every year.
The CDC also reports that more than half of all sports injuries in children are preventable, with overuse injuries accounting for nearly that same percentage. While many parents might assume this means their child should steer clear of sports involvement, a recent study shows that the exact opposite may be true.