Johns Hopkins sports medicine specialists are joining forces with colleagues, academic societies, sports celebrities and professional athletic organizations to raise awareness about the growing numbers of children with sports injuries.

In a newly launched campaign, STOP Sports Injuries, they aim to educate athletes, parents, trainers, coaches, physicians and other healthcare professionals about the rapid increase in youth sports injuries, the steps needed to help reverse the trend and the importance of keeping young athletes healthy.

This trend, experts say, is fueled by an increase in overuse and trauma injuries and improper injury prevention, with more than half of all childhood sports injuries being avoidable.
High school athletes alone account for an estimated two million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But Hopkins experts say they also regularly see children as young as 8, 9 and 10 years of age.

 “Sports injuries are particularly serious in children because they are skeletally immature, and a trauma that resolves without lingering effects in a 25-year-old could have life-long consequences in a10-year-old,” says Amy Valasek, M.D., a pediatric sports medicine expert at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. “We have this great opportunity to sound the alarm on this disturbing trend and prevent more children from suffering serious sports injuries.”

Andrew Cosgarea, M.D., professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of sports medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says that pediatricians have a unique opportunity to counsel patients and parents during pre-participation physicals required for all young athletes.

“It is essential to instill in both the parents and the child the ABCs of injury prevention but, perhaps more importantly, to emphasize the need to take time off between sports seasons and allow adequate time to recover should an injury occur in order to prevent further damage,” Cosgarea said.

“Regardless of whether the athlete is a professional, an amateur, an Olympian or a young recreational athlete, the number of sports injuries is increasing – but the escalation of injuries in kids is the most alarming,” said James Andrews, M.D., former president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and STOP Sports Injuries Campaign Co-Chair.  “Armed with the correct information and tools, today’s young athletes can remain healthy, play safe, and stay in the game for life.”

Members of the STOP Sports Injuries campaign include the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, National Athletic Trainers’ Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, Safe Kids and nearly 300 other sports medicine organizations across the country.

Supporting the STOP Sports Injuries campaign are the country’s leading sports medicine organizations along with professional athletes and business leaders who have signed on as members of the campaign’s Council of Champions. This Council will help raise additional awareness about this growing trend. Some of the founding members of the Council include former Olympic champions Christie Rampone, Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair, professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, MLB baseball players John Smoltz and Hank Aaron, NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, and Heisman Trophy winner and St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford.

For more information, go to http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/