Injuries among Young Florida Athletes Playing Sports in Recreational Leagues

• Main Authors: Yingwei Yang, Karen D. Liller, Barbara Morris, Jessica Fillion, Omonigho M. Bubu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Florida 2017-08-01
• Series: Florida Public Health Review
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1211&context=fphr

The purpose of this study was to identify the injury rates and mechanisms of sports injuries among 5-11-year-old athletes, and to provide preliminary guidance for decreasing injuries in this population. A total of 1511 athletes ages 5- 11 playing football, soccer, baseball and softball participated in our research. One certified athletic trainer (ATC) used Reporting Information Online (RIO) to collect the data on athletic exposure, injuries and injury mechanisms weekly during the 2016-2017 season in Hillsborough County, Florida. A total of 18 injuries occurred in practices or competitions. Football had the leading rate of injuries for both competitions and practices (1.18 and 0.68, per 1000 athlete-exposures respectively). Most injuries occurred during competition (66.7%) and the leading types of injuries were concussions (22.2%) and fractures (22.2%). The leading injury mechanisms were contact with another person (33.3%) and playing apparatus (33.3%). It is advantageous to have ATCs on site for initial injury evaluation and post injury management. Future studies should include additional study venues to provide more evidence on children’s sports injuries.