“People involved in sports, such as, coaches and physical therapists, are taking steps on how to strengthen muscles and prevent injuries because they are becoming more common and people are paying more attention to them,” observed Hannah Skallman, a senior at Minnetonka High School, who is involved in competitive cheer and fast-pitch softball.

High school sports have always been an enjoyment. However, some people are beginning to think that the young athletes are suffering from too many injuries. Today, over 75% of young athletes suffer from overuse injuries. These injuries are associated with too much playing time and not enough rest in between practices and games therefore weakening the muscles. In comparison, only about 20% of young athletes suffered from overuse injuries in the 1990s.

However, other research conducted by the National Center for Sports Safety, indicated that there are more participants involved in sports nowadays. Some argue this is the reason for the increase in injuries. They believe that more people involved, means a higher number of injuries. Leah Dasovich, MHS’s girl’s basketball coach, commented that she is “sure that’s probably the case”. However, she also thinks “the increase in injuries with female athletes is due to the competitive nature of the sport now. It’s so much more physical and demanding on the body now”.

Dave Nelson, MHS’s Varsity football coach, believes his football team did have “an increase in injuries this past year”. He shared that in previous seasons they experienced no ACL knee injuries or possibly one, however this year they had two.

Some people question what actually determines an injury? Is it a mild twist or a severe muscle tear? This leads many to question the statistics over the increase in injuries because of the vast variety the description entails.

Skallman believes that injuries today are both more common and more severe than in the past “because people are trying to push the limits” and “also, once someone hurts something it seems they hurt it more often, and later it becomes more severe. Once you injure something, it’s already weak so it is easier to hurt again”.

Other observers have noticed that some coaches, parents and players do not take the same precautions when an injury happens in practice as they would if that injury happened during a game.  Dasovich attributes this to, “trainers and an audience. Practice is hard to tell what’s serious and what’s just a bump.” However, Nelson explains that during football practice, the “players know that if they are injured in practice they have to let a coach know” and coaches “try to have players stay on their feet in practice and not go to the ground”. During softball practices, Skallman mentions that it may be easier for someone to shake off an injury because no one may see it happen but in a game everyone is watching.

While the end decision is still up for debate regarding an increase in high school sports injuries, the higher level of competition and the higher number of participants are contributing factors to the possible increasing of injured high school athletes.