This post was written by David Morey, MS, LAT, ATC, assistant athletic trainer, Parkview Sports Medicine.
Participation in sports can be an important part of a child’s physical development. It can provide a sense of belonging to a team and achieving shared goals. Athletics can also just be a great way to have fun with friends! Some sports, however, come with a higher risk of injury, which warrant more consideration from parents. Competing in contact/collision sports like football and hockey have higher instances of concussions and other head injuries. This begs the question: should kids be a certain age before beginning specific actions in contact sports?
Age matters
First, let’s focus on what we’re talking about when we refer to contact. This would be things like tackling in football and body checking in hockey. It could also be performing headers in soccer.
A report by The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds suggested that a child should be age 14 before performing these sorts of activities, as that is when most boys reach puberty. “So many changes happen so quickly and so precisely in developing brains, that any injury – a concussion, for example – can significantly derail neurodevelopment,” the article states. However, they go on to say the age of 14 is somewhat arbitrary as children develop at different rates.
Other considerations
Johns Hopkins echoes this sentiment on their website, saying that yes, age matters, but there are other factors parents should also consider when deciding whether a child is ready to participate in sports. “Age and size shouldn’t be the only measures used… keep in mind that no two children are alike, and some may not be ready physically or psychologically to take part in a team sport until they are older.”
Gear up
When adolescents do start performing these contact activities, they should be wearing the correct safety gear and receiving proper education on and technique for these skills.
It’s also important that when head injuries occur that proper care is taken to help resolve the injury. Have the child seen by a physician to be checked for a concussion and make sure they are cleared by a trained medical professional before resuming the sport. It is far better to sit out a game or two instead of prolonging a significant injury.
Learn more about the role of the Parkview Sports Medicine athletic trainers.
Sources
