Injury Statistics Among Young Athletes

  • Each year, high school athletes sustain an estimated two million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations
  • As for children under age 14, more than 3.5 million receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year
  • Despite being the most preventable, overuse injuries account for nearly half of all sports injuries in middle and high school athletes
  • Since 2000 there has been a fivefold increase in the number of serious shoulder and elbow injuries among youth baseball and softball players
  • According to some estimates, as many as 300,000 ACL injuries occur in the U.S. every year, especially more commonly in today’s young athlete.
  • Nearly 70% of all ACL injuries result from a non-contact mechanism, usually a quick pivot, unbalanced landing or an abrupt stop.

 

Why Are Young Athletes At An Increased Risk for Injury? 

Although individuals of all ages can suffer injuries, young athletes are developing injuries at an increasing rate over the past decade. There are a few explanations for this phenomenon:

  • Children are participating in sporting activities at an earlier age. 
  • Secondly, children are exposed to sports much more frequently throughout the year, sometimes specializing in only one sport. In addition, the intensity at which children are training now is higher than ever.
  • During adolescent development, there may be a lag in neuromuscular control and strength in the core and extremities. Fully matured athletes may never have gained full potential in this area.
  • Lack of adequate preparation in offseason leading up to sport participation, as well as lack of preparation prior to each practice and competition.

*** LINK TO POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

 

What Can Be Done To Help Prevent This From Happening?

There is increasing evidence that prevention programs can reduce the risk of injuries, such as non-contact ACL tears. These programs emphasize the improvement of neuromuscular control and stability of an athlete through different methods, some of which include:

  • Flexibility
  • Strengthening
  • Balance
  • Plyometrics
  • Conditioning

Many of these prevention programs are generic and designed as a one-size-fits-all framework.

However, at Armonk Physical Therapy and Sports Training, we tailor each program to the individual athlete based on their areas of need.

 

The Armonk Physical Therapy and Sports Training Injury Prevention and Sports Performance Program

Each athlete will undergo a comprehensive evaluation and screening, performed by a Physical Therapist, to identify weaknesses and imbalances. The athlete will be classified as low, medium, or high risk for injury based on the findings during evaluation. This evaluation will cost $150.

A Physical Therapist will design an individualized training program for the athlete. Our facility offers different packages in which the athlete can carry out their supervised program, each at a different rate.

8 session package including:

  1. One-on-One Training with Physical Therapist
  2. One-on-One Training with Personal Trainer
  3. Group Training (Up to 3 Athletes) with Personal Trainer

***High Risk Athletes are recommended to perform 3-4 One-on-One sessions with a Physical Therapist before advancing to training sessions