Its back to school time again, which means that fall sports are beginning for most athletes. Most athletes hope to make it through the season without an injury, but things do not always go as planned. Getting injured can affect a lot of people besides the individual, such as getting pressure to play through the injury from parents, coaches and teammates. This can be a difficult thing to get through for a high school athlete, but getting the proper care to help them through the injury is key to getting them healthy again.
A teenager’s body can be injured just as much as a adult’s body, but their bodies are affected differently. Growth in a teenager’s body is typically uneven, due to their bodies growing so fast, which in turn puts more stress on their muscles and tendons. There are different types of high school sports injuries which include acute injuries, overuse injuries and catastrophic injuries.
Acute injuries happen fast from sudden movements. Types of injuries include contusions, sprains, strains, fractures and complete tearing of muscles or tendons.
Overuse injuries are not caused by a sudden, quick movement, they happen over a period of time. These injuries can affect muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and growth plates. Athletes who do not get enough rest in between seasons or athletes who specialize in a certain sport or movement are more susceptible to this injury. Stress fractures are also an overuse injury. As adolescents grow, new bone develops and when they are constantly active, the breakdown of old bone happens fast. Their bodies cannot make new bone fast enough, which causes stress on the bone, leading to a stress fracture.
Catastrophic sports injuries include severe injuries to the head and neck, damaging the brain and spinal cord. The most popular catastrophic injury in high school athletes is a concussion. Another type of catastrophic injury is a growth plate injury. In adolescents, the growth plate is the last part of the bone to harden, therefore it is more susceptible to fracture or injury. This type of injury often occurs in contact or high impact sports like gymnastics.
Here at the Windom Area Hospital Outreach, we have your orthopedic needs covered. If you or your child has an injury from sports or another activity give us a call to make an appointment at 507-831-0670.
Reference:
High School Sports Injuries. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/high-school-sports-injuries/ accessed on July 16, 2018.