COLUMBUS – A new study by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows that soccer injuries are sending soaring numbers of U.S. kids to emergency rooms.
Many cases are kids with concussions needing urgent medical care.
The findings are based on 25 years of data analyzed by The Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
While concussions and other closed-head injuries only accounted for just over 7 percent of the injuries overall, the rate increased 1,596 percent over the study period from 1990-2014.
“Young athletes take longer to recover from concussions than older athletes and they can put themselves at risk for second-impact syndrome and repeat concussions if they return to play too soon, both of which can lead to serious, life-altering injuries” said Tracy Mehan, the center’s manager of translational research.
Researchers and sports medicine experts believe the growing number of cases reflect not only soccer’s growing popularity, but also a greater awareness about concussions and their potential risks.
The majority of the injuries were sprains or strains, fractures or soft tissue injuries (22 percent) according to the study, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Athletes with concussions and other “closed-head injuries” were twice as likely to be admitted to the hospital as patients with other diagnoses at the center.
The study found that most of the injuries occurred when a player was struck by either another player or the ball or when they fell.
Older children and adolescents ages 12-17 years accounted for 73 percent of the injuries and girls were more likely than boys to sustain a knee or an ankle injury.