BMJ 1994;308:1556-1559 (11 June)

Education and debate

ABC of Sports Medicine: Musculoskeletal Injuries in Child Athletes

L Klenerman 

The growing skeletons of children may be injured more easily than the mature skeletons of adults because the bones are more porous and the long bones are further weakened by the epiphysical plates at their proximal and distal ends. Children and young teenagers nevertheless have a lower injury rate from participation in sport than fully mature adolescents. 


Children's v adults' skeletons

More vulnerable because:

* Still growing

* More porous

* Long bones weakened by epiphysial plates at each end

Lower injury rate because:

* More flexible

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Osteochondroses

Osteochondroses are a loose grouping of conditions affecting the growing epiphysis. They all show healing in radiographs. Common examples that occur in growing children at traction epiphyses are Osgood-Schlatter disease (at tibial tuberosity), Sever's disease (at insertion of Achilles tendon), and Larsen-Johansson disease (at lower pole of patella). Others that affect articular surfaces are Freiberg's disease (head of second or . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Musculoskeletal injuries in child athletes
J G P Williams
BMJ 1994 309: 341. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Shanmugam, C., Maffulli, N. (2008). Sports injuries in children. Br Med Bull 86: 33-57 [Abstract] [Full text]  
  • Sharma, P, Luscombe, K., Maffulli, N (2003). Sports injuries in children. Trauma 5: 245-259 [Abstract]  
  • Williams, J G P (1994). Musculoskeletal injuries in child athletes. BMJ 309: 341-341 [Full text]  
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