Study: 1 in 3 Kids Get Badly Injured While Playing Sports

A new study released this week shows that about 1 in 3 kids who play sports get hurt badly enough to need medical attention.

The study, commissioned by Safe Kids Worldwide and Johnson & Johnson, analyzed data from 516 children ages 8 to 18, 750 parents, and 752 coaches. Among the injuries sustained by these young athletes: concussions, broken bones, dehydration, and more.

Related: The biggest sports health hazards kids face

But what's truly frightening are the misconceptions that many parents and coaches have about when a child is too hurt to continue playing. In spite of the fact that catastrophic head injuries and concussions are on the rise around the country, more than half of coaches surveyed said that a certain amount of head contact -- described in the survey as "getting your bell rung" or "seeing stars" -- was acceptable during games and practices.

"The concussion issue is a really big one," Kate Carr, President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, told Web MD. "The mantra should be "when in doubt, take them out."

"Parents need to talk to their children," Kevin Guskiewicz, the founding director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill told Yahoo! Shine. "We need to emphasize the importance of understanding the signs and symptoms of concussion."

Related: How to know if you have a concussion

The survey also found that 30 percent of kids think that good athletes get back in the game even when they're hurt -- a situation that former lacrosse player and Advocates for Injured Athletes co-founder Tommy Mallon knows can result in death.

Mallon broke his neck when he collided with another player in high school. "I went down, and I was like 'Let's get up, let's keep going'," he told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. "If I had gotten up, I probably would have died or been a quadriplegic."

Heat illness is another health hazard many student athletes face, and the fact that approximately 40 percent of parents underestimate how much water kids need during games and practices can be a problem. A water break at half-time just isn't enough; in order to keep dehydration at bay, kids need to drink fluids every 15 to 20 minutes during intense physical activity.

Most parents -- nine out of 10, in fact -- also underestimate how much time off their student athletes need in order to avoid repetitive stress injuries, over training, and burnout. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the Safe Kids study points out, kids need two or three consecutive months (about a typical high school sports season) away from each sport each year, and should also spent at least one day each week not engaging in any type of organized sport activity.

"The research findings are particularly alarming because experts tell us more than half of these injuries are preventable," Carr said. "There is a gap between what we as coaches and parents can do to keep our kids safe and what we're actually doing. With some simple precautions, we can change these troubling statistics and keep our kids healthy and enjoying the benefits of sports."

"Culturally, there's an attitude that injuries are a natural consequence of sports and that good athletes tough it out when they suffer an injury. But that attitude is hurting our kids," said Carr.





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