Most parents know that an active child is a healthy child – but what about the inevitable injuries if they play sports? Sally Harris, M.D., MPH, a specialist in pediatric and adolescent sports medicine at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, says the most common serious sports-related injury for young children (prior to puberty) is a broken bone, also called a fracture. Before reaching puberty, children’s flexible bones are their most vulnerable points as cartilage is still filling in and the ends of the bones are weaker and softer to allow for growth.
