Gotta Run Kids!

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Sports injuries can range from scrapes and bruises to serious brain and spinal cord injuries, but most fall somewhere between the extremes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention these injuries are by far the most common cause of musculoskeletal injuries in children treated in primary care office visits.

1. Sprain

A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament. Ligaments are connectors of bone to bone at a joint. It is usually obtained from falling, twisting, or getting hit. For running children, the most common sprains are in their ankle. They might notice a pop or tear when the injury happens. Your child might complain of symptoms such as pain, swelling, bruising and inability to move the joint at normal range of motion.

2. Strain

A strain is an overstretched or torn muscle or tendon. Tendons are the connectors of the muscles to bone. A tendon is a tough, fibrous cord whereas muscles are bundles of specialised cells that contract to produce movement, and the injury is commonly caused by twisting or pulling. Hamstring muscle strains are the most common muscle strain found in runners. Your child might experience pain, muscle spasms, swelling, bruising and difficulty in moving the muscle.

3. Growth Plate Injuries

Growth plates are the areas of developing cartilage where bone growth occurs in children and it will fuse then replaced by solid bone by the end of puberty. Since these part of the bones are soft, they are prone to injury especially due to repetitive stress.

Overuse injuries are unique to a certain sport, such as throwing injuries of the elbow and shoulder injuries that are prevalent in tennis players. If your child is involved in running, do take precaution of his/her knees and ankles, as it is the most common injuries involve in runners. Such injury can be painful and, if ignored, can impair growth or possible deformity. Your child might need to refrain himself/herself from aggravating activities for at least 2 to 3 months.

4. Stress Fracture

Bones in our body are living tissue, it constantly is in a balanced cycle of building up and breaking down. If a child over-does the same activity and too much stress is being placed on the bones, the bone will not be able to build up fast enough. Eventually, the muscles become fatigued and the overload leads to small crack in a bone.

Most stress fracture happens in weight bearing bones of the lower leg and foot, especially in marchers and long distance runners. The typical presentation is a complaint of increasing pain during exercise and weight bearing becomes difficult, swelling might be noted too. Rest and immobilization for at least 6 to 8 weeks will be required for healing to happen. Depending on the degree of fracture, some children might need a cast or crutches in addition to physical therapy to assist the recovery process. If your child continues activity with the sustained injury before complete healing, larger and harder-to-heal stress fracture can develop. Re-injury could lead to chronic problems where stress fracture cannot be healed properly.

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RUNNING MALAYSIA is the first running magazine in Malaysia that puts forward the best of the interest of all runners across the nation, may they be running for fun, fitness, or races.Dedicated to deliver the latest running news, events, tips, gadget features, nutrition and wellness advice, Running Malaysia is the one-stop source for information of running enthusiasts and athletes from amateur to experienced ones.