Four in ten visits for children ages 5 to 14 are sports related injuries. There are many types of injuries associated with youth sports. Three of these injuries are growth plate injuries, concussions, and overuse injuries. Only children can acquire growth plate injuries. Growth plates are where tissue develops near the end of long bones in children and adolescents. Until the child reaches skeletal maturity, each long bone has two growth plates (epiphyseal plates). When the growing is finished, the tissue is replaced by solid bone. Before skeletal maturity, the plates are the weakest spot in a child’s skeleton. Because of this, sports can cause these kinds of injuries. One third of all childhood fractures are growth plate injuries. These injuries are twice as likely to occur in boys than girls, because girls usually reach skeletal maturity at an earlier age than boys. Growth plate fractures/injuries most often occur in the thighbone (femur), lower bone of the leg (tibia and fibula), outer bone of the forearm (radius) at wrist. These injuries also occur in the ankle, foot, hip, and fingers. They can be caused by falls, competitive sports, and recreational activities. Sometimes surgery is needed for treatment (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2017). Recreational sports can also cause overuse injuries. …show more content…
Fair Health’s study concluded that concussion diagnoses for people under the age of 22 rose 500% from 2010 to 2014. (Rains, 2016, p1?) This was probably caused by an increase of youths participating in sports. In 2012, there were 3.8 million concussions, twice the amount in the year 2002. 1 in 5 high school athletes get a concussion during the season. Football has the greatest risks of concussions. (Head Case Company, 2014). One might think that concussions can always heal, but 39% of catastrophic head injuries lead to permanent neurological