By the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue's Community Relations Team

April 8th, 2008

Inside Nova

Spring has arrived! And as the weather becomes nicer, individuals are spending more time outdoors enjoying a variety of outdoor activities and sports especially our youth.  And although being active is healthy for the mind, body and soul you are susceptible to injuries as well. 

According to Safe Kids USA, each year, more than 3.5 million children, in the U.S. under the age of 15 are treated for sports injuries. Older children are more prone to sports-related injuries because they are larger, faster and more competitive. This particular age group, 5 to 14, account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated at emergency rooms.

In team sports, the majority of injuries (62 percent) occur during practice, not games, with the extent of those injuries ranging from heat illness to traumatic head and neck injury (21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries are sports or recreation related), with cardiac disease being the number one cause of death among athletes.

Read on...