Sports medicine stats: Knee injuries in high school athletes
Dr. David Geier is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Charleston, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. He helps athletes and active people feel and perform their best, regardless of age, injuries and medical history. He has been featured in major media publications and shows over 2,500 times throughout his career.
Knee injuries are among the most common injuries sustained by high school and collegiate athletes and can have devastating results for individual athletes and the team. In the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years, knee injuries made up 15.2% of all high school sports-related injuries. Football, women’s soccer, and women’s gymnastics had the highest risk of knee injury in high school sports. In addition, approximately half of all high school sports injuries that require orthopaedic surgery involved the knee. Most of these were complete ligament tears that medically disqualified athletes for the season.
Source: American Journal of Sports Medicine, April 2014
Through the stories of a dozen athletes whose injuries and recovery advanced the field (including Joan Benoit, Michael Jordan, Brandi Chastain, and Tommy John), Dr. Geier explains how sports medicine makes sports safer for the pros, amateurs, student-athletes, and weekend warriors alike.