Sports Injuries for Individuals of All Ages

Unfortunately, almost all active sports, especially highly competitive sports, such as football, basketball, volleyball, weightlifting, gymnastics, and wrestling, all pose particularly higher risks of injuries, especially among children, but sports related injuries happen to people of all ages.

In fact, one recent study indicated as much as 20 percent of all sports-related injuries involve the lower back or neck. That is a lot of injuries! Running and weightlifting, and other sports that involve repetitive impact also cause unique problems. These exercises expose children to a high risk for lumbar (lower back) injuries. Some contact sports, such as soccer and football, can expose the cervical spine, or neck, to injury while playing the game. You may not know that approximately one-third of all high school football players sustain some type of injury, many are head and neck related. Soccer players are easy candidates for some mild to severe head traumas, neck injuries, cervical spine damage, headache, neck pain, dizziness, irritability, and insomnia. While playing or practicing, heading the ball, the act of using the head to re-direct the soccer ball, has been associated with cervical injuries in children and adults. The same is true for the very popular trampoline and gymnastics can also present significant risks for spinal cord injuries from unexpected and brute falls or contact with hard surfaces.