Is basketball getting a lot rougher for kids? Researchers aren't sure, but they say the number of head injuries from the sport is soaring, at least in the U.S.
Nearly 400,000 U.S. children and teenagers go to the emergency room for basketball-related injuries each year, researchers reported Monday after reviewing data collected from a national sample of U.S. hospitals.
While the total number of injuries has decreased between 1997 and 2007, the number of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries rose an alarming 70 per cent over time, the study found, from just over 7,000 in 1997 to almost 12,000 in 2007.
Study author Lara McKenzie, of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, called the brain injury numbers "exceedingly high."
"The proportion of [traumatic brain injuries] doubled for boys and tripled for girls during this time," she noted in a news release.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that the most common basketball injuries were muscle strains and joint sprains. Sprained ankles made up 24 per cent of the injuries, for example. Fractures or dislocations made up another 15 per cent.
But younger kids were at particular risk of head injuries. Children aged 5 to 10 years were more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury than those aged 11 to 19 years, and brain injuries were more common among girls than boys.
The study's mandate was only to document the injuries; it didn't try to uncover the reasons for the injury increases.
But the findings raise worries that young basketball players are not only bigger than they once were, they are more competitive and aggressive.
McKenzie says she hopes her team's findings don't discourage kids from playing basketball.
"Basketball is a very popular sport and we want to encourage children to continue playing while also reducing the risk of injury," she said.
She added that parents and coaches need to recognize that there are inherent risks in any sport and should be on the lookout for the signs of a concussion and other brain injuries,
"Many athletes do not recognize the symptoms of concussions or do not report them to coaches and trainers. Educating athletes, coaches and parents to recognize and report on suspected concussions is vital to managing them effectively and helping to prevent future injuries."
