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British Medical Bulletin Advance Access originally published online on February 18, 2008
British Medical Bulletin 2008 86(1):33-57; doi:10.1093/bmb/ldn001
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Sports injuries in children

Chezhiyan Shanmugam and Nicola Maffulli*

Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Keele University School of Medicine, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

* Correspondence to: Nicola Maffulli Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Keele University School of Medicine, Thornburrow Drive, Hartshill Stoke-on-Trent ST4 7QB, UK. E-mail: n.maffulli{at}keele.ac.uk

Introduction: Sports injuries in children affect both growing bone and soft tissues, and can result in damage of growth mechanisms with subsequent lifelong, growth disturbance. This clinical review unfolds the incidence and distribution, physiology, injury characteristics and the prevention modalities.

Methods: A comprehensive in Medline literature search was performed, and the reference lists of sports injuries related journals and text books was consulted.

Results: During growth, there are significant changes in the biomechanical properties of bone. In young athletes, as bone stiffness increases and resistance to impact diminishes, sudden overload may cause bones to bow or buckle. Fractures that are initially united with some deformity can completely remodel, and the bone may appear totally normal in later life.

Discussion/conclusion: Most injuries caused in children's sports are minor and self-limiting, suggesting that children and youth sports are safe. The training programmes should take into account their physical and psychological immaturity, so that growing athletes can adjust to the changes in their bodies.

Keywords: musculoskeletal system • epidemiology • upper limb • lower limb • spine • children • sports injuries

Accepted for publication January 2, 2008.


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