The Study
This study by Vern D. Seefeldt , professor emeritus of physical education and exercise science, Robert M. Malina, professor of kinesiology and director of the Study of Youth Sports and Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, synthesizes the literature and draws conclusions pertaining to pediatric sports injuries related to preselection, sport participation and growth/maturation. The purpose of the review was to provide scientific documentation to support or refute ten of the most widely held assumptions concerning pediatric sports injuries.

The Findings
An essential step in the reduction of injuries in youth sports is to specify the association between certain risk factors and specific injuries in a sport or several sports. Association does not imply a cause-effect sequence. However, given established associations, it is then possible to test and evaluate various methods of intervention to ascertain their effectiveness. There is a consistently higher rate of injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament in girls than in boys when experience in similar sports is used as the basis for comparison. Sport injuries increase in incidence and severity as chronological age increases. The combined efforts of athletic trainers, coaches, physicians and athletes are essential to a better understanding of pediatric sports injuries, their prevention and management.

What It Means to You
While the prevalence of injuries increases in some sports during the adolescent years, factors other than the growth spurt are more likely involved. Since the majority of risk factors associated with injuries in youth sports are under the control of coaches, you will want to make certain that your coaches have the necessary skills, information and willingness to take responsibility to educate and condition their athletes, to ensure that the proper protective equipment is used, that students participate in safe environmental conditions and that injuries are properly treated and fully rehabilitated. Evidence is reasonably consistent that prior injuries are correlated with increased risk of a repeat injury; ensuring that student athletes have adequate and complete rehabilitation before they resume participation can be an important strategy for schools to follow.

For More Information
Consult Seefeldt, V. D., Malina, R. M., Katzmarzyk, P. T., “Facts and Myths about Pediatric Sports Injuries: What Science Tells Us,” (1997), Proceedings, National Athletic Trainers’ Association, 48^th Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 18-21.

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