Youth Sports Increase Risk of Personal Injury for Philadelphia Children
Thousands of Philadelphia children participate in youth sports. Little League, traveling soccer teams, Pop Warner football, cheerleading, baseball leagues, basketball intramurals, gymnastics competitions -- our kids are playing all kinds of sports outside of school and Philadelphia parents are all for it. Parents see youth sports as a great way to promote health and fitness, teach teamwork, foster competition and build self-esteem. Philadelphia youth sports do all that, but they also increase your child's risk of sustaining serious personal injury, warn Philadelphia personal injury lawyers.
A 5 billion dollar industry, youth sports are virtually unregulated. Coached mostly by interested parents with little to no training, more than 40 million U.S. children participate on one or more non-school sports teams. Personal injury rates for young players have skyrocketed with 78% of youth sports' injuries requiring treatment at a hospital or urgent-care center. Patient loads at sports-medicine clinics that treat young players have tripled. More than 25% of children who play youth sports sustain a severe personal injury that permanently affects their ability to play any sport.
Physicians say the pressure to succeed at youth sports is causing children to push their still-developing bodies beyond their abilities. Year-round play, sports specialization and traveling teams risk overtaxing the physical abilities and endurance of young players, placing them at considerable risk of sustaining permanent personal injury. Doctors single out concussions as the most dangerous personal injury young players risk. Concussions can permanently impair the physical and mental development of young players. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cited heat illness during games or practices as a leading cause of death and disability among teen athletes.
Philadelphia parents don't send their children onto the playing field expecting them to suffer a serious injury or permanent disability, but the risk is real. If your child suffers a serious personal injury while playing sports, contact a Philadelphia personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation.
