Football Injuries

A collision in practice. and hard fall. “And pretty much right away I felt like a pretty serious pain,” says 16-year-old Tyler King.

A trainer told Tyler the bad news. his collarbone was broken.

“The way that it broke it was bayoneted. meaning like the bones overlapping each other. so any movement at all would make the bones scrape together and that was just really painful.” :

According to American Sports Data Inc., almost 3-million kids aged 6 to 17 play football each season: among kids 14 and younger, 20 percent are injured, for high school kids, that number jumps to 64 percent. two out of every three get injured every year.

“They become stronger, they become faster, they become more powerful, and that’s when the collisions become more violent and we’re much more likely to see these macro-traumatic type injuries,” says Dr. David Marshall, the Sports Medicine Director at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Experts say because of the risks, and the mindset that says ‘play through the pain’,

“It’s important for the parents to know who is making the medical decisions at their school. Is it a coach, is it a nurse, is it a board certified athletic trainer, or is it a team physician,” says Steve Stepp, a Board Certified Trainer, “At minimum, that needs to come from a certified athletic trainer, of which most schools do not have at this point.”

He says that’s why parents should consider an evaluation from their own doctor before letting their child play again.

Tyler’s doctor told him his collarbone is fully healed. so once he gets his strength back. he’ll be ready to play.

“Football is just the sport I love most, and I’d do anything to get back out.”

Every year, more than 150,000 American youth under the age of 15 – 20 percent of all players between eight and 14 – are taken to the emergency room for football-related injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For kids above 15, the rate soars as high as 64 percent. While most of the injuries aren’t serious – sprains and strains are the most common – some knee injuries, which are very common in older kids, can lead to chronic knee pain. And the CDC says that once a player receives a concussion, he is four to six times as likely to receive another one. Helmets, mouth guards and pads should be worn at all times while playing tackle football, and parents and players should be informed as to proper safety techniques.

According to the Michigan Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports, there are a number of guidelines to follow to limit or eliminate youth football injuries. While the members of the council acknowledge that every action will likely not be taken, they encourage adopting as many as possible to minimize injuries.

• Children under six years old should not play competitive football
• Tackle football should not be played by children under 10 years of age.
• Youth teams should be matched by skill level and size
• Every athlete should receive a physical fitness evaluation from a physician prior to participation to detect any conditions which could lead to injury or death
• Prior to participation, each athlete should have a knowledge of the fundamentals of football, particularly correct blocking and tackling styles
• Participants should follow a proper exercise and diet routine
• Weight equipment should be carefully selected and adjusted for youths who have not completed puberty and lifting should always be supervised by an adult
• Young athletes are particularly susceptible to overuse injuries – conditioning and skill practicing sessions should be increased gradually in intensity, duration and frequency
• Equipment should be selected by safest available
• Fields and practice areas should be well-lit and free of holes, glass or other debris
• Coaches should be certified in first aid and CPR 
• Players should never use the tops of their heads for tackling, blocking or striking opponents
• A significant percentage of injuries occur during preseason practices – controlled activities should be emphasized
• Practices should be attended and any seemingly unsafe practices should be questioned
• Telephones should be readily available at all practice and game facilities
• First-aid equipment should be available at the fields and should be checked frequently
• An emergency action plan should be developed and rehearsed
• Players should stretch before and after workouts
• Athletes should not be allowed to practice or play until all injuries are healed completely

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Michigan Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports
What You Need To Know About Orthopedics
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh