{"id":8711034,"date":"2023-01-10T07:13:30","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T15:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/?p=8711034&preview=true&preview_id=8711034"},"modified":"2023-01-10T09:04:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T17:04:35","slug":"football-is-the-most-dangerous-team-sport-for-kids-see-how-other-sports-rank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2023\/01\/10\/football-is-the-most-dangerous-team-sport-for-kids-see-how-other-sports-rank\/","title":{"rendered":"Football is the most dangerous team sport for kids. See how other sports rank."},"content":{"rendered":"
By Madeline Holcombe | CNN<\/strong><\/div>\n

Every time there is a head trauma, cardiac arrest, or other major injury among professional sports, parents take a deep breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat athlete is someone\u2019s child. Could that be my child?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardiac events during sports are uncommon for anyone, said Dr. Stuart Berger, division head of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. While they can also occur in kids and teens, these injuries can happen whether or not people play sports.<\/p>\n

While many children can get injured on the field, the numbers are mostly declining \u2014 and sports are important for their physical and mental health, doctors say. They explain how to prevent and treat sports injury in kids.<\/p>\n

How many kids get injured playing sports<\/h3>\n

Overall injuries due to youth participation in football show a dramatic decline since 2013, plateauing in 2020 and heading back up in 2021, according to the most recent figures from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.<\/a><\/p>\n

More than a million kids ages 5 to 14 were injured in sports and required a trip to the emergency room, according to the commission. Along with sports like basketball, soccer and football, the agency also reported significant injuries from things like playground equipment and skateboards.<\/p>\n

Children between the ages of 5 and 14 were most likely to be injured in football in 2021: There were 110,171 reported injuries in children ages 5 to 14 in 2021, compared to 92,802 in youth and young adults aged 15 to 24.<\/p>\n

Soccer and basketball were also high risk for kids\u2019 injuries with 59,000 and 79,207 injuries, respectively.<\/p>\n

The sports with the highest rates of concussion were: boys\u2019 football, with 10.4 concussions per 10,000 athlete exposures; girls\u2019 soccer, with 8.19 per 10,000 athlete exposures; and boys\u2019 ice hockey, with 7.69 per 10,000 athlete exposures, according to a 2019 study. <\/a><\/p>\n

High contact sports like hockey, football, lacrosse and martial arts might be higher risk for serious injuries such as head injury, but even seemingly safer sports like swimming and track pose some risk for overuse injuries. And they all can be made safer with the right strategy, said Dr. Erin Grieb, pediatric primary care sports medicine physician at Stanford Medicine Children\u2019s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center. <\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to do if your child plays sports.<\/p>\n

What to look out for<\/h3>\n

When it comes to cardiac events, screening is crucial, Berger said.<\/p>\n

Generally, kids are safe to play sports and exercise without concern for cardiac events, but with all types of sports, it is important to do a physical with family history to identify those who might be at risk, he added.<\/p>\n

\u2018The concerns are that maybe there is somebody with an underlying cardiac abnormality,\u201d Berger said. \u201cThe screening is designed to bring that out and that we can identify, if possible, who those kids are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Head injuries are another major concern to families when it comes to putting their children in sports.<\/p>\n

The bulk of concussions in kids are related to youth sports, said Dr. Andrew Peterson, clinical professor of pediatrics and director of primary care sports medicine at the University of Iowa.<\/p>\n

The good news is that there is not strong evidence that a handful of concussions over a childhood is associated with long term impacts as an adult, he added.<\/p>\n

But it is really important to avoid reinjuring the head before a concussion is fully healed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing we worry about most are these second impact events where people have a concussion on top of a concussion,\u201d Peterson said.<\/p>\n

Coaches, referees and families should learn how to spot a concussion to make sure their young athlete is properly cared for, Grieb said.<\/p>\n

The signs and symptoms can be physical, including headaches or sensitivity to light; mental, with confusion or difficulty paying attention; emotional, with sadness and anxiety; or sleep related, she added.<\/p>\n

It is important to remember that concussions can present in many ways, and just because you got certain symptoms in one concussion doesn\u2019t mean you will have the same ones in the next, Grieb said.<\/p>\n

Prevention and response<\/h3>\n

To keep kids safe in sports, it\u2019s important focus on both prevention and response.<\/p>\n

Even for high contact, high-risk sports, there has been a cultural shift to focus more rules and regulations on player protection and injury prevention, Grieb said.<\/p>\n

Learning the proper techniques and wearing well-fitting gear can help lower the risk of serious injury in sports like football, hockey and lacrosse.<\/p>\n

In almost any sport, kids should be given ample time to rest within the week and over the course of the year to avoid injuries that can come from overuse, she added.<\/p>\n

With head injuries, it is important that young athletes take the proper time and action to recover before getting back to their sports, Grieb said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou break a bone, I can put you in a cast and not let you use that arm. When you have a head injury, I can\u2019t put your head in a cast,\u201d she said. \u201cYou get one brain, so it\u2019s really important that we let your brain heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to cardiac event, every person \u2014 player, coach or onlooker \u2014 should be familiar with CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and how to use a defibrillator, Berger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe prepared to intervene, because that\u2019s what saves lives,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Why children should still play<\/h3>\n