Spring is here and that means you can’t let your guard down to ensure you can prevent youth sports injuries
Springtime is a time when children finally get to play outside as temperatures warm up and everyone gets to enjoy longer days than in the winter. Consequently, as more sports and outdoors activities spike during spring, so do the chances of injury—and in some cases, death. It is for this reason that in April, we should become more aware of the challenges that the spring brings to youth across the country.
Contact sports played outside, such as football, account for many of the springtime injuries. However, other non-contact sports are just as likely to produce injuries due to bad postures, lack of stretching before practicing a sport, the improper use of sports equipment or senseless accidents caused by a lack of focus during physical activities.
According to Stanford Child Health, more than 3.5 million child-age injuries are reported every year in the United States—and of those, about one third are related to sports activities. Another alarming statistic by the same source shows that about 21 percent of all sports-related injuries contribute to some form of traumatic brain injury.
Another study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2009, reports that the following youth recreational activity and sports injury statistics for children between 5 to 14 years of age:
- Basketball: 170,000+
- Baseball/Softball: 110,000+
- Cycling: 200,000+
- Football: 215,000+
- Hockey: 20,000+
- Skating: Almost 50,000
- Skateboarding: 65,000+
- Soccer: 63,000+
- Trampolines: 100,000+
As a general rule, children involved in recreational activities or sports should always be supervised by an adult. Children are unable to make critical decisions or take preventative measures when doing these activities because—as all children do—they are caught in the joy and emotion of the moment.
However, adults should also be careful not to push or demand of children more than they can deliver in sports. Pushy parents can sometimes be to blame for youth injuries, especially in competitive sports. Awareness goes both ways—and you don’t want to feel responsible for causing your child to end up in the hospital or worst.
MyMRI wants you to keep in mind youth safety awareness in the month of April. Our products are designed to protect your child in the event of an injury, allowing quick and effective access to critical information by first responders.