Sunday, October 23, 2011

ACL in... children?

It is not something we think about for children, but ACL injuries are becoming more and more common in a younger set of athletes. According to Knee Injuries Increasing Among Young Athletes, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has seen a 400% increase in knee injuries with ACL and meniscal injuries each rising rapidly. The reason that I bring up this issue is that although many of us may not have thought about working with a younger set of athletes, we have to realize that they are prone to the same injuries as the older athletes are. There is still a risk for an ACL injury and we must keep that in the back of our mind as we evaluate injuries.
The reason that I think that this is becoming such as trend is the lean towards the "one sport athlete." There is a frame of mind that states that an athlete will not be able to get to their true potential if they do not focus on one sport. This doesn't mean that when they are off-season they get a break, sports are year round and have training programs that won't give children a moments rest. When I was in 8th, I was playing field hockey for my high school every weekday and playing for an indoor softball league both Saturday and Sunday.
This increase can be attributed to the intense practices that children participate in. Last week I was passing some football fields and I saw 6 and 7 year olds running sprints under the lights. If you are on a good team that is participating at a high level, practices can be very intense and you are expected to go full out in both practice and in games.
Lastly, this increase can be because athletes are on more than one team in order to maximize their chances at college, or making an elite team. When I was in 9th grade I was playing on 3 different softball teams to try to find my place. This means, more practices and more chances to get hurt.

The real question is do we really understand the risk that all these practices and games gives to children?

http://www.mch.com/page/EN/5193/Sports-Medicine/Sports-Injury-Tips.aspx
Posted by Jeaninec16 at 10:16 AM

2 comments:

  1. Cara PostlmayrOctober 30, 2011 at 6:48 PM

    Thats pretty crazy to me! It is also scary to think that a nine or ten year old can experience an ACL injury. I just honestly have never even thought of that, so I thank you for bringing this to our attention. I am wondering though, if this ACL injury occurring at such an early age is due to improper nutrition or if it has some effect on how they are growing up in a completely sports dominated arena? I am also wondering if maybe to decrease the amount of injuries in a younger athlete, that they should only be restricted to one sport? However that could severely hinder the athletes development. I do think this should increase the awareness of athletic trainers, to the effect on the increase in intensity of multiple practices in one day. Athletic Trainers should try to find a way to enter into grade schools, because injuries do occur and it is important to have someone there who can help and treat the athlete in a correct manner.

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  2. LloydOctober 30, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    Very interesting topic Jeanine... I think you and Cara are probably right about the increase in year-round sports playing a big role. What I found particularly interesting was the mention in the article of how ACL treatment can effect growth. If someone needs ACL surgery who is not done growing, their growth plates could be damaged and cause much larger problems for the individual.

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