Sports

The number of mountain-bike related injuries fell 56% over the 14 year period from 1994 to 1997, but still resulted in an average of over 15,000 injuries per year serious enough to require emergency room treatment, says a new study to be published in the February 2011 edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

In June 2011, USA Hockey approved a rule banning body checking in youth hockey until the Bantam level (13-14 year olds) first proposed at the organization's winter meeting January 22-23) in Colorado Springs, Colorado..

Concussion in high school sports are increasing at a 15% annual rate, finds a new study. Consistent with previous studies, football accounted for more than half of all concussions and a concussion rate nearly double the rate for girls' soccer, the sport with the next highest rate. Concussion rates increased across all 12 sports studied.  Although the degree of change varied, ranging from an average annual increase of 8% for football to 27% for wrestling, Girls had a higher rate of concussion that that of boys in those sports (soccer, basketball, baseball/softball) where the boys' and girls' games are essentially the same.

Little League International has placed a moratorium on the use of composite bats in the Little League (Majors) Division and all other baseball divisions of Little League, effective immediately. 

As a full-contact sport that takes place on the ice with fast-moving players equipped with sticks, pucks and skate blades, ice hockey's risk for injury is always high. Concussions and many other serious hockey injuries are, however, preventable. In addition to altering the way they play the game, players can take prevention measures both before and during the season.

As any parent of a competitive age-group swimmer knows, an indoor pool tends to be a very hot and humid place even at the best of times. Pack in all the competitors and spectators at a day-long meet and the temperatures soar, with athletes in or around the pool losing fluids at a high rate.  Practices for competitive swimmers also tend to last a long time, during which athletes not only burn a lot of calories but lose a lot of water and electrolytes.

Youth baseball pitchers throwing more than 100 innings in a calendar year are 3.5 times more likely to be so seriously injured as to require elbow or shoulder surgery or retirement due to injury, says a new study from the American Sports Medicine Institute. The study suggests that playing catcher may double or triple a pitcher's risk of injury, but the small number of injured players studied prevented a finding that the risk was significantly significant. 

Two-time Olympic track cyclist and mom, Erin Mirabella, talks about her experience with cross-training and offers advice to parents on helping their child find the right sport or cross-training regimen for them.

Parents and coaches can help prevent common volleyball injuries by promoting proper warm-up, stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as paying close attention to the proper techniques, footwear, braces and pads to play volleyball safely.