Skip to main content
PMC home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1999 Oct;81(4):324–328. doi: 10.1136/adc.81.4.324

Permanent sequelae in sports injuries: a population based study

A Marchi 1, B Di 1, G Messi 1, G Gazzola 1
PMCID: PMC1718092  PMID: 10490437

Abstract

AIM—To identify permanent sequelae after sports injuries in children and adolescents.
METHODS—In 1985, a prospective register was drawn up of all sports related injuries reported that year by the residents of Trieste, Italy aged 6-15 years. Moderate to severe injuries (scoring ⩾ 2 on the abbreviated injury scale (AIS)) were the object of a longitudinal clinical study. In 1988, 30.9% of the 220 subjects enrolled had sequelae. A further follow up was undertaken in 1997.
RESULTS—The follow up in 1997 involved 54 subjects (26 girls; average age 24.5 years). Subjective and objective sequelae, by now considered to be permanent, were found in 61.1%, corresponding to 15% of the AIS ⩾ 2 injuries recorded in 1985. The prevalence of sequelae was similar in the two sexes, in relation to the child's age at time of injury, and in the different sports practised. It was higher in relation to the severity of the lesion (89% of AIS 3injuries examined, 56% of AIS 2 injuries) and to the type of lesion and its location. With regard to AIS ⩾ 2 injuries, permanent sequelae were found in 50% of ankle fractures, 43% of elbow fractures, 33% of leg/foot fractures, 25% of knee sprains, and 23% of ankle sprains.
CONCLUSIONS—The frequency of sequelae in sports injuries in children and adolescents is high. The risk appears to be connected to certain anatomical and functional age characteristics. Prevention strategies should include specific assessment of physical fitness and adequate follow up after the accident, particularly rehabilitation.



Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (84.2 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Avery J. G., Harper P., Ackroyd S. Do we pay too dearly for our sport and leisure activities? An investigation into fatalities as a result of sporting and leisure activities in England and Wales, 1982-1988. Public Health. 1990 Nov;104(6):417–423. doi: 10.1016/s0033-3506(05)80084-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barker M., Power C., Roberts I. Injuries and the risk of disability in teenagers and young adults. Arch Dis Child. 1996 Aug;75(2):156–158. doi: 10.1136/adc.75.2.156. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Casini P., Messi G., Marchi A. G. Studio Trieste degli Incidenti Pediatrici. Nota III. Sulla predittività degli esiti a distanza. Minerva Pediatr. 1987 May 31;39(10):471–474. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ekstrand J., Gillquist J., Liljedahl S. O. Prevention of soccer injuries. Supervision by doctor and physiotherapist. Am J Sports Med. 1983 May-Jun;11(3):116–120. doi: 10.1177/036354658301100302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Frutiger A., Ryf C., Bilat C., Rosso R., Furrer M., Cantieni R., Rüedi T., Leutenegger A. Five years' follow-up of severely injured ICU patients. J Trauma. 1991 Sep;31(9):1216–1226. doi: 10.1097/00005373-199109000-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gallagher S. S., Guyer B., Kotelchuck M., Bass J., Lovejoy F. H., Jr, McLoughlin E., Mehta K. A strategy for the reduction of childhood injuries in Massachusetts: SCIPP. N Engl J Med. 1982 Oct 14;307(16):1015–1019. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198210143071613. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Goldberg B., Rosenthal P. P., Robertson L. S., Nicholas J. A. Injuries in youth football. Pediatrics. 1988 Feb;81(2):255–261. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hammarström A., Janlert U. Epidemiology of school injuries in the northern part of Sweden. Scand J Soc Med. 1994 Jun;22(2):120–126. doi: 10.1177/140349489402200207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Henderson J. M., Browning D. G. Head trauma in young athletes. Med Clin North Am. 1994 Mar;78(2):289–303. doi: 10.1016/s0025-7125(16)30160-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hutchison T. The classification of disability. Arch Dis Child. 1995 Aug;73(2):91–94. doi: 10.1136/adc.73.2.91. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Häyrinen-Immonen R., Sane J., Perkki K., Malmström M. A six-year follow-up study of sports-related dental injuries in children and adolescents. Endod Dent Traumatol. 1990 Oct;6(5):208–212. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-9657.1990.tb00420.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lee A. J., Garraway W. M. Epidemiological comparison of injuries in school and senior club rugby. Br J Sports Med. 1996 Sep;30(3):213–217. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.30.3.213. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Marchi A. G., Messi G., Casini P., Renier S. Studio Trieste degli incidenti pediatrici. Nota II. Analisi dei fattori di rischio degli incidenti nel bambino. Minerva Pediatr. 1986 May 15;38(9):311–318. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Marchi A. G., Renier S., Messi G., Gazzola G. Lo sport, il bambino e gli incidenti. Nota I. Epidemiologia generale. Minerva Pediatr. 1988 Mar;40(3):151–156. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Messi G., Gazzola G., Renier S., Glavina S., Marchi A. G. Lo sport, il bambino e gli incidenti. Nota III.--Gli esiti a distanza. Minerva Pediatr. 1990 May;42(5):173–178. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nathorst Westfelt J. A. Environmental factors in childhood accidents. A prospective study in Göteborg, Sweden. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl. 1982;291:1–75. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nolan T., Penny M. Epidemiology of non-intentional injuries in an Australian urban region: results from injury surveillance. J Paediatr Child Health. 1992 Feb;28(1):27–35. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1992.tb02613.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Olkkonen S., Lahdenranta U., Slätis P., Honkanen R. Bicycle accidents often cause disability--an analysis of medical and social consequences of nonfatal bicycle accidents. Scand J Soc Med. 1993 Jun;21(2):98–106. doi: 10.1177/140349489302100207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rowland T. W. Preparticipation sports examination of the child and adolescent athlete: changing views of an old ritual. Pediatrician. 1986;13(1):3–9. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sahlin Y. Sport accidents in childhood. Br J Sports Med. 1990 Mar;24(1):40–44. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.24.1.40. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sheps S. B., Evans G. D. Epidemiology of school injuries: a 2-year experience in a municipal health department. Pediatrics. 1987 Jan;79(1):69–75. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Shorter N. A., Jensen P. E., Harmon B. J., Mooney D. P. Skiing injuries in children and adolescents. J Trauma. 1996 Jun;40(6):997–1001. doi: 10.1097/00005373-199606000-00024. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stanitski C. L. Common injuries in preadolescent and adolescent athletes. Recommendations for prevention. Sports Med. 1989 Jan;7(1):32–41. doi: 10.2165/00007256-198907010-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Tursz A., Crost M. Sports-related injuries in children. A study of their characteristics, frequency, and severity, with comparison to other types of accidental injuries. Am J Sports Med. 1986 Jul-Aug;14(4):294–299. doi: 10.1177/036354658601400409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Ungerholm S., Engkvist O., Gierup J., Lindsjö U., Balkfors B. Skiing injuries in children and adults: a comparative study from an 8-year period. Int J Sports Med. 1983 Nov;4(4):236–240. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1026041. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Ungerholm S., Gierup J., Lindsjö U., Magnusson A. Skiing injuries in children: lower leg fractures. Int J Sports Med. 1985 Oct;6(5):292–297. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1025854. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Weinberger J. L., Kantor M. Possible sequelae of trauma and somatic disorder in early life. Int J Psychiatry Med. 1976;7(4):337–350. doi: 10.2190/hl5e-hk4g-9txb-dwkq. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Yacoubovitch J., Lelong N., Cosquer M., Tursz A. Etude épidémiologique des séquelles d'accidents à l'adolescence. Arch Pediatr. 1995 Jun;2(6):532–538. doi: 10.1016/0929-693x(96)81196-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES