Sports injuries in children

shiliangyin

    Introduction: Sports injuries in children affect both growing bone and soft
tissues, and can result in damage of growth mechanisms with subsequent
lifelong, growth disturbance. This clinical review unfolds the incidence and
distribution, physiology, injury characteristics and the prevention modalities.
    Methods: A comprehensive in Medline literature search was performed, and the
reference lists of sports injuries related journals and text books was consulted.
    Results: During growth, there are significant changes in the biomechanical
properties of bone. In young athletes, as bone stiffness increases and resistance
to impact diminishes, sudden overload may cause bones to bow or buckle.
Fractures that are initially united with some deformity can completely remodel,
and the bone may appear totally normal in later life.
   Discussion/conclusion: Most injuries caused in children’s sports are minor and
self-limiting, suggesting that children and youth sports are safe. The training
programmes should take into account their physical and psychological
immaturity, so that growing athletes can adjust to the changes in their bodies.
转自
Chezhiyan Shanmugam and Nicola Maffulli*
Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Keele University School of Medicine,
Stoke-on-Trent, UK