HHS HealthBeat (March 05, 2009)

Shouldering sports injuries

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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Shoulder injuries can take someone out of the game for a while. A study finds that, in high school sports, almost 1 in 4 athletes who suffered a shoulder injury missed at least three weeks of his or her season.

The look at sports injury reports from 2005 to 2007 finds shoulder injuries accounted for 8 percent of all injuries.

Shoulder injuries were more likely to affect some players than others. Researcher Ellen Yard of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio:

[Ellen Yard speaks] ``Shoulder injuries were most likely to occur in football, wrestling and baseball. They were 3 times more likely to occur during competition compared to practice.’’

Yard says correct training and quality practice can reduce the risks.

The study in the Journal of Athletic Training was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: March, 05 2009