sprains

There is good news and bad news on the youth sports injury front. The good news is that sports and recreation musculoskeletal injuries declined 12.4 percent in the U.S. over the past 10 years for children ages 5 to 14 years. The bad news: injuries in football and soccer went up, says a new study.

Baseball and softball are among the most popular and safest sports in which children and adolescents participate in the United States, says an updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Most injuries in youth basketball are minor and can be treated with simple first-aid. Finger sprains are common, but ankle and knee injuries, especially in Grades 1 through 6, are not. Here's some basic first aid advice from a longtime coach.

According to new research, the doubling of the number of ice hockey players in the United States between 1990 and 2006 has come at a cost: a dramatic increase in the number of injuries serious enough to require a visit to a hospital emergency room, with the number of injuries outpacing participation growth.

Ankle sprains are the most common injury in high school volleyball, and the most common acute injury. A new study, however, suggests that volleyball players who wear ankle braces can reduce the risk of first-time ankle sprains, with rigid or semi-rigid braces more effective for girls.