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Less Common Sports Continue to Grow in Popularity

Less Common Sports Continue to Grow in Popularity

by | May 1, 2023 | Sports Medicine

About two-thirds of kids who come to see us for sport-related injuries play at least one of these five popular sports: soccer, football, basketball, baseball and volleyball. However, young athletes sustain injuries in many other sports and activities.

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The goal of the program is to inform health care professionals who work with young athletes about current concepts and the latest evidence on sport-specific injuries, providing care, returning to sports and preventing injuries. In part two of this program, Jacob C. Jones, M.D., RMSK, provided epidemiology, common injury patterns and recommendations for preventing injuries in softball, tennis, martial arts, rugby, fencing and track & field. This program was presented as a part of a monthly series for medical professionals called Coffee, Kids and Sports Medicine.

Pediatric sports medicine research has been supporting multisport athletes for various reasons including, but not limited to, the benefits that come from the varied skill development and training patterns and demands. Physical literacy is a term that describes how comfortable an individual is with various physical skills. With this in mind, we encourage kids and athletes to test out different sports and activities at varying levels of competitions. Injury risk can be managed in all activities, and knowing what injuries occur in which sports will help with that.

Softball
Softball injuries occur most commonly in the shoulder of pitchers. Much like baseball, repetitive motion, particularly on the growing joint and bones can cause an overuse injury. Because of the style of pitching, the adolescent elbow in softball is at a much lower risk of injury compared to baseball where the elbow accounts for half of injuries in pitchers. The mechanism of shoulder injury is also different in softball, and therefore, it is not diagnosed as Little Leaguer’s shoulder, which is commonly diagnosed in young baseball pitchers. Additionally, the softball pitcher experiences pain much earlier in the season, typically within the first six weeks. Other common injuries among high school softball players include ankle sprains and concussions.

Advice from an Expert – Softball
Katie Holehouse, P.T., D.P.T., CSCS, played softball as a child and earned a scholarship to play at George Mason University. One of her first jobs was as an assistant softball coach in a high school. She has three tips to avoid softball overuse injuries.

  1. Young athletes should take breaks from softball throughout the year.
  2. An appropriate warm-up should include total body movements of all joints – not just the arm.
  3. Strength and conditioning of upper and lower body during off-season can decrease injury risk.

Tennis
Tennis is a combination of quick movements and direction changes with the feet and repetitive, forceful movements with the arm(s). Since the game is not timed, fatigue also contributes to performance and injury risk in tennis.

Repetitive external rotation in shoulder and overextension in spine are the most common causes of injuries. The knee is another joint that is often injured in young tennis players. Joints like the elbow and knee in skeletally immature players will present with conditions that are very different from adults in this sport. For example, tennis elbow, a condition affecting the tendons around the elbow, is much less likely young tennis players than other conditions.

Advice from an Expert – Tennis
Orthopedic surgeon and avid tennis player, John E. Arvesen, M.D., is a three-time Texas High School State Champion and two-time Big 12 Champion at Baylor University. Arvesen offers these tips for preventing injuries in young tennis players:

  1. Dynamic warm-up is key for injury prevention.
  2. Many injuries come from faulty mechanics.
  3. “Throwers Ten” is a good supplement to the serve.
  4. Remember good hydration, especially in the summer.

Martial Arts
All of the different forms of martial arts help young athletes build strength, improve balance and increase flexibility. Additionally, they contribute to improvements in cognitive function, self-esteem, self-respect and self-awareness.
The varying styles contribute to differences in injury risk across the different forms. Some like tae kwon do and grappling may have a higher risk of contact injuries from engaging and striking with the hands, body and feet. In competitions, the head and pelvis are most frequently injured. Contusions and bloody noses are the most common injuries. Weapons may increase the risk of injuries. Meditative forms of martial arts, such as tai chi, have lower risk of contact injuries and offer safety in slow, controlled movement patterns.

Advice from the Experts – Nose Bleeds
Our athletic trainer team boasts more than 50 years of experience in sideline care of young athletes. Their top tip for managing epistaxis (a bloody nose) in martial arts and other sports is “Don’t tilt the head back!” This may lead to swallowing or vomiting of blood. Have gloves, gauze and Vaseline® on hand when the risk for this injury is high. Cutting tampons or purchasing commercially available cotton nose plugs help to slow the hemorrhage.

Rugby
Some sources suggest rugby is the ninth most popular sport in the world. The rules for youth differ from those of adults. Rugby injuries most commonly occur during a match with more than three-quarters of injuries occur during tackling. Proper tackling form is key to help avoid injury. Rugby injuries affect teenage girls most often. The style of play puts the head at the greatest risk of injury and football-like helmets are not used. The lack of protective equipment also contributes to joint and bone injuries, such as fractures, in the clavicles, hands and extremities.

Advice from an Expert – Head to the Hip
Fracture clinic nurse practitioner Ray Kleposki, M.S.N., CPNP, a former rugby player and currently a youth rugby coach, has 20 years of experience in the sport. His advice is to learn proper tackling form, which differs from football — head to the side hip. He advises that learning and following the rules prevents both injuries and penalties.

Rib injuries may not be common in youth sports, but the consequences of misdiagnosis and treatment can be high. Rib fractures are less common in kids compared to adults; however, kids with rib fractures have higher rates of hemothorax/pneumothorax, spleen and liver injury.
Rib injuries with these signs and symptoms warrant further medical evaluation:

  • Cardiac involvement
  • Abdominal injury
  • Trouble breathing, painful breathing and/or coughing
  • Dysphagia
  • Hoarse voice

Fencing
Fencing is a combat sport that is growing in popularity that involves sword fighting. With proper training and equipment, young athletes safely participate in fencing which has three different disciplines:

  • Foil
  • Epée
  • Saber

A competitive fencer typically focuses on one of these disciplines. Each discipline has different weapons, targets and rules. Saber athletes have the highest injury rate with injuries in the knee, thigh and ankle. Anecdotally this occurs more in the lead leg. Other injuries common to other sports may also occur including acute sprains and strains and chronic complaints in the leg are consistent with patellofemoral syndrome. Unique to fencing, puncture injuries are generally prevented with proper equipment.

Track & Field
The variety of events in track & field expose athletes to acute and chronic, or overuse, injuries. The array of injury patterns differs based on the demands of the event. Running, sprinting, jumping, throwing and combination of these requires each event to be considered separately when it comes to injury incidence and risk.

A recent study evaluated youth hurdlers and found the most commonly injured body parts were the ankle, knee and wrist. The injury types that most often cause a hurdler to present to an emergency department are fractures, joint sprains and contusions.

Learn more in an article “Age and Sex Comparisons in Pediatric Track and Field Hurdle Injuries Seen in Emergency Departments of the U.S. Sports,“ recently published in Sports, an international peer-reviewed journal. This article is a review of data from a registry called the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Dr. Jones and his peers in the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society studied this information to describe a population that had not been done before. This kind of work helps providers in caring for and helping to prevent injuries in specific populations.

Four Tips to Prevent Injuries in Youth Lacrosse

Four Tips to Prevent Injuries in Youth Lacrosse

by | Apr 28, 2023 | Sports Medicine

Lacrosse is one of the oldest sports in North America and is also one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. In 2021, there were more than 40,000 collegiate and more than 450,000 youth lacrosse players. Boys’ and girls’ lacrosse follow different rules and require different equipment, which may impact the types of injuries seen in these young athletes.

“Lacrosse is an intense and demanding sport,” orthopedic surgeon John E. Arvesen, M.D., says. “Athletes who are prepared can dramatically reduce the risk of injury.” Coaches and parents can use these tips to guide young athletes in the right direction.

FOUR WAYS TO REDUCE INJURY RISK IN LACROSSE

Wear proper equipment. Protective gear that meets standards and fits correctly will provide the most benefit. Poor-fitting equipment may not offer the same protection or support.

Perform a dynamic warm-up. This involves continuous movement to raise the body’s core temperature in preparation for training or competition. Perform this before each practice or game to increase elasticity in the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joints.

Learn and implement effective hydration strategies. Mild dehydration can worsen performance. Ideally, players should drink water every 15 to 20 minutes. Add a sports drink during intense activities lasting longer than one hour or in very hot environments to replace electrolytes lost through sweat.

Plan for rest and cross-training. Early sport specialization increases an athlete’s risk of injury and inhibits their athletic development. Focusing on one sport at an early age may lead to movement imbalances, an increased risk of injury and overtraining. A one- or two-month break between seasons and a day or two of rest each week in-season is recommended.

Some injuries in lacrosse are more difficult to prevent, such as those that occur from sticks, collisions and falls. Non-contact injuries are considered to be more preventable. As a sports physical therapist and youth lacrosse parent and coach, Michael Losito teaches young athletes the importance of learning fundamental movements to prepare their bodies for non-contact injuries. “When an athlete has control over the trunk and lower extremities, he or she can produce more power, which may help to protect the joints from minor and serious injuries,” Losito says.

Common Injuries in Lacrosse

Despite efforts to reduce the risk of injury, some accidents are going to happen. Make sure you recognize and respond to injuries promptly. Many conditions can be treated with rest and a short round of rehabilitation if they are recognized early.

SPORT-RELATED CONCUSSIONS
Concussions in girls’ lacrosse players are often the result of stick contact, or a blow with a stick to the head. Boys’ lacrosse has a higher risk for concussion due to player-to-player contact. An athlete with any concussion symptoms, including change in behavior, thinking or performance after a collision or a blow to the head, neck or body, should be removed from play immediately and not return to play the same day. A medical professional with experience managing concussions should determine when it is safe to return to play.

KNEE AND ANKLE INJURIES
Sudden changes in direction, stopping and jumping can place a lot of stress on the knee.  This can stretch and tear ligaments, such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL). A swollen knee is a sign of a joint injury that needs to be evaluated.

In lacrosse, sudden direction changes, stepping on another player’s foot or landing from a jump can result in an ankle injury. Ankle sprains and injuries to the growth plate are common in growing athletes and should be evaluated to optimize treatment and return to sport.

BACK AND CHEST INJURIES
Player-to-player collisions or falls may cause back injuries. Powerful and repetitive rotation while running, cradling, shooting and passing is more likely to cause activity-related pain in lacrosse. Overuse injuries, such as stress fractures (spondylolysis), are also common in young athletes. Persistent back pain from overuse injuries needs to be evaluated by a medical professional. The equipment and high-speed movements in lacrosse increase the risk of a rare injury from a direct blow to the chest from the ball, a stick or player collisions. The condition, called commotio cordis, can be life-threatening. Chest protectors may reduce the impact and risk of this injury.

ARM INJURIES
The design of lacrosse protective gear allows the arm to move freely but leaves the shoulder open to injury. Clavicle (collar bone) fractures and ligament injuries, or “separated shoulders,” may occur. A change in the appearance of the shoulder, pain, swelling or limited motion after a collision or fall should be evaluated.
Body checks, stick checks and slashing may cause hand and wrist injuries. Soft tissue injuries such as ligament sprains may heal with rest and ice. Others may need a brace or other treatment.

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