Soccer- Related Injuries News: Why The Sudden Change Among Young Players

According to a recent study, the number of US kids being sent to emergency rooms on account of soccer injuries has been witnessing a steady rise. In a report by ABC News, the study says that this sudden change could partly be attributed to younger players seeking urgent medical attention for concussions suffered during practice sessions.

Researchers analyzed data for as many as 25 years and that partly also reveals how popular soccer has become in modern times. Further, the researchers also opine that the trend could be driven by greater awareness among experts in sports medicine and researchers of the potential risks associated with concussions in kids.  Similarly, parents and coaches too were seeking ER treatment when concussion symptoms are noticed. They surmise that in the past years these symptoms were either overlooked or downplayed.

In the study that covered the period 2000-2014, as many as 3 million youth soccer players in the age group 7-17 years were admitted in emergency rooms for injuries related to soccer. The researchers also noticed a steady increase in the number of kids admitted to the emergency rooms contributed to the increasing popularity of the game itself.

Head injuries and concussions suffered by soccer players were so widespread that some 200,000 instances of treatment in ERs were reported which amounted to 7% of all injuries soccer players suffered during the same period. In the year 1990, only 2 out of 10,000 soccer players were treated in emergency rooms for head injuries or concussions.  But, this rate has now moved up to 30 per 10,000 players, which clearly rings the alarm bells.

Dr.Huiyun Xiang, a researcher at the Center for Injury Research at Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio and lead author of the study, opines that injury prevention and more focus on safety education for young soccer players is necessary to arrest this trend, as previously reported by CNN.

Dr.Xiang also added that the consequences of sports related concussions can be far reaching with regard to cognitive functions as well as brain development.