The medals don't mean anything and the glory doesn't last. It's all about your happiness. The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing.
-Jackie Joyner Kersee

There is great benefit to children becoming active in a sport.  Sports encourage physical fitness, promote character, build friendships, and encourage skills and social development that will benefit a person over their lifetime.  Regardless of those benefits, it is enough to recognize that sports are just fun. What parent doesn’t want his child to have fun while doing something productive and positive?  Unfortunately sports injuries are also a reality every parent must consider. 

Children can sustain two different kinds of sports injury.  The first is an acute injury that comes as the result of a specific trauma.  These come in the forms of sprains, cuts, bruises, or even fractures. The second kind of injury comes from overuse.  These can be more difficult to diagnose and treat because they are subtle and happen over time.   They involve repetitive unnatural movement over time that results in an injury that can be long-lasting – even for the rest of the child’s life. Examples of these kinds of injuries include tennis elbow, swimmer’s shoulder, and stress fractures.

Identifying an Injury
If your child experiences pain in a certain part of their body that never leaves or keeps reappearing, this may be a sign they are developing an overuse injury—and even more telling is when the body part specifically relates to the sport they've been training in (such as a runner having sore knee joints). Often, the pain increases as time goes by, and if the child takes time to heal will find it starting again when he/she returns to activity.

Many children will tell you when they are hurt, but some children will try to “tough it out.”  It is important that parents and coaches look for signs of injury that may indicate a more serious problem developing.  The “Stop Sports Injuries” campaign (www.StopSportsInjuries.org) lists the following as signs to watch for:

• Avoiding putting weight on a certain body part (e.g., ankle or wrist) or favoring one side of the body over the other (i.e., limping)
• Appearing to be in pain when using a particular body part
• Inability to sleep
• Shortness of breath/trouble breathing during activity
• Headaches during or after activity
• Appearing to experience stiffness in the joints or muscles
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Difficulty sitting and/or climbing stairs
• Inability to feel the fingers or toes
• Experiencing unusual weakness
• Irritated skin and/or blisters

If your child shows any of these signs, or other signs of chronic pain or immobility it is important for you to consult with a health care professional.   Keep in mind that even if an injury starts out as an acute injury, it can become a long-term injury which does not go away.   Physical therapists can help in management and recovery from acute injuries and overuse injuries and should be consulted when pain persists or becomes worse over time.

Prevention
There are some common sense steps that parents and caregivers can take in order to reduce the possibility of injury.  Have your child receive a regular physical checkup and screen for common injuries related to their particular sport.  Make sure that your child properly warms up before an activity and stretches muscles to release tension and increase flexibility.  Children should cool down following activity allowing heart rate to return to a normal level.  Stretching again is important.  Make sure that the child is receiving proper training and techniques to avoid injury.  If the child’s sport requires equipment for safety and injury prevention, make sure the equipment is in proper condition and fits them properly.  Make certain that a child drinks enough fluids and rests when necessary.  Finally, allowing a child to have a season off to allow the body to rest and recover or to cross train in different seasons to avoid using the same muscle groups in the same way may help in preventing overuse injuries. 

Participation in a sport is beneficial for children.  One of the greatest frustrations any athlete will face, especially children, is an injury that prevents them from doing the activity they love.  With some care and guidance from those who love them, they can participate and avoid injuries that could keep them from full enjoyment of a sport.