Physical Education Precautions

Physical education classes are needed because of the more sedentary lifestyle of many children, but phys ed teachers and the students need to be aware of the potential for injury in physical education class. In fact, the incidence of injury has been rising - by 150% in 10 years (1997 to 2007). This statistic was gathered by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

In order to identify the frequency of injuries, researchers examined the types of injuries that occurred most often during PE class and the ages of the children involved. The study’s findings were published in the most recent online issue of the journal Pediatrics.

The injuries overall are:
23% – leg, knee, ankle and foot sprains and strains (lower extremity)
14% – fingers, hands, wrists, arms, elbows and shoulders sprains and strains (upper extremity)
14% – fractures

While children from 5 to 10 years old had twice the chance of having a head injury over any other, children from 11 to 14 years were the largest group represented, making up 52% of the injury numbers.

Which activities caused the most injuries?
While any physical activity may cause an injury, the most common ones, making up 70% of the injuries during PE were:

basketball
football
gymnastics
soccer
running
volleyball

Interestingly, there was no difference between boys and girls in terms of the increase in injuries; both groups were equally affected.

Researchers point out that the goal of such studies is to make administrators and teachers aware of what injuries have the higher risks of causing injury, giving them an opportunity to be more vigilant and take safety precautions.

Article from:
http://www.blisstree.com/articles/physical-education-injuries/