Prevent The Most Common Cause Of Children’s Fractures

It is not unusual for children to suffer fractures. When researchers explored the activities most likely to cause fractures, they discovered that winter sports put young bones at highest risk of a break. We have tips to help keep children safe during frosty activities.

We all know that healthy activity goes hand in hand with injury risks, even though the benefits of activity far outweigh the risks. Active play is a crucial part of healthy bone development. It’s important to encourage activity, but it should come as no surprise that children have their share of fractures and broken bones. Researchers wanted to know which activities carried the highest risk of pediatric bone injury. The answer matters to Minnesotans: winter sports.

Approximately one-third of pediatric fractures happen during sports activities. The most frequently fractured joint is the wrist, followed by fingers and toes. Researchers analyzed the number of fracture injuries during a specific period of play, and compared sports based on this measure. They discovered that one sport clearly carries a higher fracture risk: snowboarding.

In order to understand the risks of snowboarding, it’s helpful to review some of the key research findings:

  • Snowboarding has a fracture rate four times higher than the fracture rate for soccer, and five times higher than fracture rate during trampoline use.
  • Ice-skating was the winter sport with the next-highest fracture risk among winter activities.
  • Children are most at risk for a sports-related fracture at the age of 10, and the risk for boys is higher than it is for girls.
  • Snowboarding has the highest rate of wrist-specific fractures—and it is important to note that most of the children who suffered wrist fractures were not wearing wrist guards when they were injured.

Studies are currently being conducted to evaluate preventative measures that can effectively help your child avoid these common injuries. In the meantime, you can help keep your child safe by encouraging a wide variety of winter sports, and by insisting that your child wear wrist guards when they snowboard. These simple preventative measures can help prevent bone injuries while encouraging the outdoor activity that children need to grow strong healthy bones.

Sports medicine: Expert bone, joint, and muscle care

From Olympians to pro athletes to youth sports and those that just want to be more active – Summit Orthopedics delivers expert care by fellowship-trained sports medicine physicians. If you are recently injured or concerned about ongoing pain, Summit Orthopedics sports medicine specialists have the expertise to evaluate your discomfort and develop a plan to quickly and safely help you get back to being active.

Start your journey to a more active self: Find your sports medicine expert, request an appointment online, or call us at 651-968-5201 to schedule a sports medicine consultation.

Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as several additional community clinics.

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