Common youth sports injuries

The most common injuries treated by our Sports Medicine team include:

  • Sprains – Injury to a ligament, one of the bands of tough, fibrous tissue that connects two or more bones at a joint and prevents excessive movement of the joint. An ankle sprain is the most common athletic injury.
  • Strains – Injury to either a muscle or a tendon. A muscle is a tissue composed of bundles of specialized cells that, when stimulated by nerve messages, contract and produce movement. A tendon is a tough, fibrous cord of tissue that connects muscle to bone. Muscles in any part of the body can be injured.
  • Growth plate injuries – The area of developing tissues at the end of the long bones in growing children and adolescents. When growth is complete, sometime during adolescence, the growth plate is replaced by solid bone.
  • Repetitive motion injuries – Stress fractures (a hairline fracture of the bone that has been subjected to repeated stress) and tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon) can occur from the overuse of muscles and tendons.
  • Concussions – A type of traumatic brain injury. While the brain is cushioned by spinal fluid inside the skull when jarred and the brain hits the skull, blood vessels can tear and nerves inside the brain can be injured.

Keeping student-athletes safe

In addition to treating young athletes, our Sports Medicine specialists work with local coaches and high school athletic departments to prevent injuries.

  • Concussion management includes comprehensive assessment and, if necessary, a tailored treatment plan.
  • Safe School Certification — policies and procedures to keep athletes safe. Mora, Hinckley-Finlayson, Ogilvie and Pine City schools are Safe School Certified.
  • The Minnesota State High School League provides all its member schools and their students with a free Concussion Insurance Program. Click here for all of the information.
  • Support for area high schools at sporting events to assess, diagnose, treat, and manage athlete injuries
  • Mora and Hinckley-Finlayson high school have been named Safe Sports Schools (SSS) by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) for the high quality of injury prevention offered through Welia Health and its Sports Medicine team. Welia athletic trainers also work alongside Mora, Hinckley, Pine City, Ogilvie, East Central, and Rush City high school sports teams.

Sport-specific safety information

Recommendations to help prevent injury.

Basketball
  • Common injuries – Sprains, strains, bruises, fractures, scrapes, dislocations, cuts, injuries to teeth, ankles, and knees. Injury rates are higher in girls, especially for the anterior cruciate ligament or ACL, the wide ligament that limits rotation and forward movement of the shin bone.
  • Safest playing with – Eye protection, elbow and knee pads, mouth guard, athletic supporters for males, proper shoes, water. If playing outdoors, wear sunscreen and, when possible, a hat.
  • Injury prevention – Strength training (particularly knees and shoulders), aerobics (exercises that develop the strength and endurance of the heart and lungs), warm-up exercises, proper coaching, use of safety equipment
Football
  • Common injuries – Bruises, sprains, strains, pulled muscles, tears to soft tissues such as ligaments, broken bones, internal injuries (bruised or damaged organs), concussions, back injuries, and sunburn. Knees and ankles are the most common injury sites.
  • Safest playing with – Helmet, mouth guard, shoulder pads, athletic supporters for males, chest/rib pads, forearm, elbow, and thigh pads, shin guards, proper shoes, sunscreen, and water.
  • Injury prevention – Proper use of safety equipment, warm-up exercises, proper coaching techniques and conditioning.
Baseball and softball
  • Common injuries – Soft tissue strains, impact injuries that include fractures caused by sliding and being hit by a ball, and sunburn.
  • Safest playing with – Batting helmet, shin guards, elbow guards, athletic supporters for males, mouth guard, sunscreen, cleats, hat, and detachable “breakaway bases” rather than traditional, stationary ones.
  • Injury prevention – Proper conditioning and warm-ups.
Soccer
  • Common injuries – Bruises, cuts and scrapes, headaches, and sunburn.
  • Safest playing with – Shin guards, athletic supporters for males, cleats, sunscreen, and water.
  • Injury prevention – Aerobic conditioning and warm-ups, and when age-appropriate, proper training in “heading” (that is, using the head to strike or make a play with the ball).
Gymnastics
  • Common injuries – Sprains and strains of soft tissues.
  • Safest playing with – Athletic supporters for males, safety harness, joint supports (such as neoprene wraps), and water.
  • Injury prevention – Proper conditioning and warm-ups.

Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

To learn more, call Rehabilitation Services at 320.225.3356.

Welia Health’s rehabilitation team offers a wide range of services from sports medicine and athletic training, physical and occupational therapy, specialty care for cardiovascular and respiratory patients, pediatric therapy, hand therapy, speech-language pathology, wound care, and sleep medicine.