
The popularity of soccer nationally and internationally seems to grow more and more each year and that is a good thing given how active children can be when they play this great sport. But injuries can and do occur in kids who play soccer and for that reason, Smith et al. (
10.1542/peds.2016-0346) elected to analyze 15 years of soccer injuries in US children ages 7 to 17 as compiled in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. The authors of this study were able to calculate injury rates based on the participation data in this database, and the quantity and quality of injuries in this study are impressive. Close to 3 million children were treated in emergency rooms over the quarter century studied for soccer injuries or about 120,000 yearly.
Sadly, the annual injury rate over time has been increasing, and the authors focus on trends like this with the hope of pointing us in the right direction with better preventive strategies. The authors not only characterize the causes for soccer injuries (e.g. being struck by another player, falling, etc.) but the types of injuries that result from these mechanisms of injury and what parts of the body are most at risk. Most concerning are the concussion rates, which have gone up more than 1500% over the past 25 years. If you want to be on the ball and achieve a goal of reducing soccer injuries in your community, then you’re sure to get some kicks and prevention strategies from the information contained in this article.