Safety

Girls who play sports more than 8 hours per week are twice as likely as their less active peers to suffer a stress fracture, a new study finds. Most at risk were those engaged in three activities (running, basketball and cheerleading/gymnastics) which involve repeated jumping and landing which place particuarly high stress on bone, with the risk of injury increasing about 8 percent for each extra hour of activity over four per week.

New research suggests that more intense training and inadequate diet are placing high school athletes at significant risk for developing stress fractures in the bones of the back, hip, leg and foot, with girls more likely to suffer such overuse injury and at an earlier age than boys.

Early recognition and treatment of common overuse injuries to growth plates is key to the safe return to play of young athletes says a new study.

Overuse running injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome (so-called "runner's knee"), and Achilles tendonitis may have more to do with weakened hip muscles than the sheer number of miles an athlete runs.

With a plan for managing symptoms, kids who have asthma can fully participate in track & field. In fact, there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence that participation in activities like track, rather than being harmful, is actually beneficial.

Overuse injuries are common in track and field. In addition to shin splints, track and field athletes are prone to chondromalacia (runner

Running injuries are quite common. But they can be reduced if you follow the proper conditioning and training programs; wear the appropriate apparel and footwear; and are aware of your running environment. Follow these guidelines to prevent injuries.

A strain is a twist, pull and/or tear of a muscle and/or tendon. Tendons are fibrous cords of tissue that attach muscles to bone. Strains and sprains are among the most common sports injuries.

Shin splints are an inflammation of the tendons attaching the shin muscles to the tibia (shin bone) and a warning sign that, for whatever reason, the muscles are unable to handle the stress being placed on them. They are the number one overuse injury in track and field. If you suspect your child has shin splints, he should be seen by his doctor because sometimes what looks like shin splints are actually tibia stress fractures.

The American Society For Testing And Materials (ASTM) has established a new task force to establish voluntary safety standards for pole vaulting.