Injuries Caused by Running-Related Accidents on the Rise in Kids

Injuries caused due to running related incidents among children and adolescents have risen by almost 35 percent, a new study complied by a US based children's hospital said.

According to the research conducted by Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, more than 225,000 cases related to running incidents were treated at various US emergency centers during the period of 1994 to 2007, with the patients being between the ages of 5-18 years.

The number of such incidents has steadily risen over the time with the researchers saying that the number of cases has increased by 34 percent during the study period. Published in the February issue of Clinical Pediatrics, the research said that the cause of injuries varied depending on the age group.

While the most common cause for such injuries among children from 6-14 years of age was as a result of fall or running at school, sports related injuries were the major cause for the children between 15-18 years of age.

"The findings from our study show that formal, evidenced-based and age-specific guidelines are needed for pediatric runners so that parents, coaches and physical education teachers can teach children the proper way to run in order to reduce the risk of injury", lead researcher Lara McKenzie said.




Source: Medindia