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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research is shedding light on soccer injuries in children and what can be done to make the sport safer for the millions of kids who play it every year.
Investigators from Columbus Children's Hospital looked at more than 1.6 million emergency room visits for soccer-related injuries recorded in a large national database. While the number of injuries stayed about the same over the 13-year study, results showed a marked increase in the number of girls getting hurt playing soccer and also revealed significant differences in the injury rate and type based on sex and age.
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While girls had more injuries overall, boys had more severe injuries and were about twice as likely to be hospitalized. The latter was especially true for younger boys.
Perhaps most troubling was the higher rate of head injuries seen in very young children -- those between ages 2 and 4 -- during the study.
Study authors write these findings suggest the need for several soccer safety initiatives. Specifically, they call for:
- Young children to be closely supervised while playing soccer
- Research on the use on soccer helmets to prevent or reduce the number of head injuries associated with the sport
- Minimizing the practice of heading for younger children
- Placing age limits on participation in competitive soccer
"Parents, players, coaches, referees, soccer organizations, and the medical community should work together to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all participants," study authors write.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: American Journal of Sports Medicine, published online Feb. 1, 2007
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