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Other overuse sports injuries seen mostly in children include osteochondritis dissecans of the knee and ankle (repetitive grinding together of bones that causes damage to the growing surface cartilage and may result in pieces of dead bone and cartilage dropping into the joint and wreaking havoc), Osgood Schlatter's syndrome (inflammation at the point where the tendon connects the kneecap to the very top of the shinbone) and os calcis apophysitis (inflammation at the point where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel).
Unlike acute sports injuries such as sprains, strains, bruises, and breaks (which the Consumer Products Safety Commission tells us result in four million emergency room visits every year), the exact prevalence of overuse injuries is difficult to ascertain. That's because the symptoms of overuse injuries develop over time, and do not require immediate emergency care. Suffice it to say, overuse injuries in kids sports are so common that pediatric sports medicine clinics have opened to respond to the problem.
One of the most disturbing aspects of overuse injuries is their insidiousness. Often kids won't admit to being sore - they just drop out of sports, often for life. When these injuries go undetected, the damage to a growing child's hard and soft tissues can be permanent. Evidence suggests that overuse injuries sustained in childhood may continue to cause problems in later life, such as arthritis.
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