| Children in India these days are increasingly | | | | of secondary osteoarthritis, a variant of osteoarthritis |
| participating in competitive sports. They find in sports, | | | | which appears at a much earlier age than arthritis in |
| especially the popular ones a career opportunity or a | | | | our grandparents. I have seen in the past few |
| pastime. Sports are a good way of developing | | | | months a handful of children with bony and |
| comrade ship and leader ship qualities. In the big cities | | | | ligamentous injuries of the knee which has resulted in |
| like Chennai, Bangalore, tech Hubs of India, there are | | | | gross damage. As many people are aware, in |
| many families who have relocated from the United | | | | Osteoarthritis (OA) the cartilage that cushions a joint |
| States. Children of such families have been exposed | | | | is worn away, causing the bones to grind against |
| to games like Basketball, soccer, football, baseball, | | | | each other casing pain and stiffness. |
| roller and board skating from an early age. | | | | The main ligament injury of the knee is an avulsion of |
| Participation in sport is good for the overall | | | | the anterior cruciate ligament from its bony |
| development of kids but there is a risk of getting | | | | attachment at the top of the shinbone (tibia). Earlier |
| injured. Let us examine the risks from sports and | | | | it was thought that in children, the attachment of the |
| look at the methods of preventing sports injuries. | | | | ligament to the bone gave way earlier before the |
| Children in sports are likely to sustain injuries. Most of | | | | ligament could tear as in adults. This has not been |
| these are sprains. | | | | born out in more and more case reports and my |
| To quote some statistics from the US,o Nationally, | | | | experience as well. So while examining children with |
| over 775,000 children under age 15 are treated in | | | | knee injuries, it is important to remember that the |
| hospital emergency departments for sports-related | | | | pattern of injury could resemble an adult type of |
| injuries each year.o About 80 percent of these | | | | ACL injury. The growing child's surgical reconstruction |
| injuries are from football, basketball, baseball, or | | | | differs slightly from a reconstructive procedure. |
| soccer.o Most sports-related injuries in children - | | | | Kids who play sports will get hurt - that's a fact. But |
| about two-thirds of them - are sprains and strains. | | | | how can parents and coaches protect kids' joints, |
| Only 5 percent of sports injuries involve broken | | | | reducing the risk of injury and cutting the chance of |
| bones. | | | | developing osteoarthritis later? |
| However the trauma of a sports injury does not end | | | | Preventiono Ensuring that your child has protective |
| with the immediate hospitalization. There may be | | | | gear for that particular sport.o Conditioning and |
| hidden problems which can surface later. A sports | | | | training for a specific sport can ward of injury.o |
| injury in childhood can cause late arthritis in later life. | | | | Warming up and cooling down exercises at the |
| The most serious of these is osteoarthritis. According | | | | beginning and end of the game are vital.o Parents |
| to one study, a single knee injury early in life can put | | | | should not be over ambitious and push their kids too |
| a child at five times the risk for osteoarthritis in | | | | much.o Ensure that your kids get the right nutrition.o |
| adulthood; likewise a hip injury could more than triple | | | | If you want your kid to develop into a good sports |
| the risk. | | | | person, get him a good coach.o Older children can |
| Fact: Osteoarthritis affects one third of the people | | | | localize pain but younger ones can't. They may just |
| with chronic arthritis and joint symptoms. | | | | limp or not use the limb. If your kid complains of pain |
| Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of chronic disability | | | | in a joint, or develops a swelling in a joint or limps, |
| in many countries with aging populations. Sports | | | | consult an orthopaedic surgeon with special interest in |
| activities are bound to increase in children and adults | | | | paediatric sports injuries. |
| with abundant leisure time and affluence. Since there | | | | Protecting your child's joints from sports injuries |
| is little help from coaches or advice from parents, | | | | should not mean keeping him or her out of sports |
| children are more than likely to suffer from injuries | | | | and stuck in the house. The long-term benefits of |
| that can be neglected. This puts the child at risk of | | | | sports for children are clear. Exercise is crucial for |
| developing osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis is the | | | | maintaining proper weight, improving strength and |
| commonest arthritis in our country. | | | | coordination, and building lifelong good health habits |
| Knee ligament and cartilage injuries are the | | | | early. Emotionally, team sports can help children build |
| commonest joint injuries in sports like football, | | | | social skills and can provide a general sense of |
| basketball or soccer. | | | | well-being. |
| Ligamentous injuries of the knee are a major cause | | | | Let them play - but play smart! |