Track-related injuries in children based on age, gender and activity type

Age, gender and type of activity performed are the major factors influencing track-related injuries in children, according to a study published in The Physician and Sportsmedicine.

Investigators found that males were more likely to have pelvic injuries, while females were more likely to sustain an injury to the ankle, according to the abstract. The variations in injury not only occurred because of gender, but also because of factors such as age and activity performed.

"We found that the most commonly injured body parts varied across activity and across age group," Lara McKenzie, PhD, lead author from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, stated in a press release. “Elementary students were more likely to sustain upper extremity injuries while high school students were more likely to sustain lower leg injuries.

Patients were running 59% of the time or hurdling 23% of the time shortly before injury. The most common injury was a sprain or strained ankle, at 52%, or a fracture or dislocation, which occurred 17% of the time. McKenzie and colleagues also found that sprinting was more likely to cause an injury to the pelvis or upper leg, while hurdling was more likely to cause head or upper extremity injuries, according to the abstract.

Between 1991 and 2008, the researchers found that 159,633 patients were treated for track-related injuries from activities, such as drills, cross country, hurdles, running, sprinting, relays or stretching. In 2008, there were 10,496 hospital admissions for track-related injuries, a 36.3% increase from the 7,702 hospital-treated injuries in 1991.

Reference:

Reid JP, Nelson NG, Roberts KJ, et al. Track-related injuries in children and adolescents treated in US emergency departments from 1991 through 2008. Phys Sportsmed. 2012; 40:2. doi:10.3810/psm.2012.05.1965.

Disclosure: McKenzie has no relevant financial disclosures.