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American football players carrying an injured teammate off the field during a practice session in the late afternoon
High School Sports Injury
May 9, 2023
June 13, 2019, everything is at stake for the Golden State Warriors as they walk onto the court of Game 6 of the NBA finals their opponents are one game away from winning the championship, but luck wasn’t on their side. In the previous game, Warriors’ superstar Kevin Durant suffered a season-ending injury. As Game 6 goes on, Warriors’s guard Klay Thompson suffers an ACL tear, which then kept him off the court for two and a half years.
High School athletes also suffer from sports injuries.
Millions of American High Schoolers participate in at least one organized sport, with over 2 million yearly injuries. Injuries come in many different forms and have negative impacts both physically and mentally on athletes.
Injuries are caused mainly by overuse of a certain muscle, sudden trauma, and improper forms. Here are some of the most common types of injuries.
Sprains
Sprains are one of the most common types of injuries across any high school sports. It happens when a joint is forced to move into an unnatural position. Sports that require quick changes in directions such as football and basketball are more likely to result in sprains.
Shin Splints
Shin splints commonly refer to pain along or behind the large bone in the lower leg. They are caused by intense athletic activities (running, jumping, etc). They can last anytime from 2 weeks to a few months and can lead to serious downfalls in athletes’ performance.
Concussion
Concussions are another common type of sports injury. Concussions are caused by direct hits or falls to the head. Concussions are more seen in high-contact sports such as football and soccer. The amount of brain injury and how long it will last depends on how severe the impact is. Some symptoms of concussion include headaches, unconsciousness, loss of memory, and sensitivity to light and noise.
Muscle Strain
A muscle strain is an injury to a muscle or a tendon that mostly occurs in the lower back area. It results from the overuse or misuse of a certain muscle. Lack of warm-up, improper forms, and poor flexibility can all lead to muscle strain.
Does different sports result in different types of injuries?
Yes! There are many injuries shared among all sports activities, but some sports have a higher probability of getting a type of injury than others. For example, a football player has a much higher rate of getting a concussion than a golf player. Shoulder and elbow injuries occur more often in tennis, swimming, baseball, and softball. Throwing a baseball and swinging a tennis racket puts a lot more pressure on an athlete’s elbow and shoulder than running in a soccer game.
Gender and injury type
Boys and girls athletes share almost the same types of injuries. However, there is an exception. According to studies, girls are 2 to 8 times more likely to get an ACL tear than boys. Compare to males, females tend to have less muscle and bone density. This is mostly because of differences in body structure. According to orthopedic surgeon Elizabeth Gardner, the female pelvis is wider, which leads to changes in how the thigh bone, tibia, and femur function. This puts more pressure on the soft tissues that support the joints and increases the probability of suffering an ACL tear.
Recovering/Prevent Injuries
Injuries can be devastating to high school athletes. Severe injuries could lead to months off the field, physical damage, and psychological effects. Brookfield Academy Athletic Trainer Lauren Komorowski gives a couple of advice on preventing and recovering from injuries.
Playing one sport throughout the whole year could lead to muscle overuse. For example, playing baseball year-round could lead to shoulder injuries. Playing multiple sports year-round is a good way to prevent such injuries. Specializing in one sport at a young age could be detrimental to an athlete. Warm-ups stretches, and recoveries are essential to preventing injuries. All athletes should stretch at least 1 or 2 times a day. Weight-lifting is also encouraged, as long as the form is good and the weight is controlled.
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References
https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=sports-injury-statistics-90-P02787
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/high-school-sports-injuries/
https://www.adventhealth.com/blog/most-common-high-school-sports-injuries#:~:text=High%20school%20athletes%20account%20for,with%2030%2C000%20leading%20to%20hospitalizations.