HUDSON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Bonati Spine Institute, the leading center for the patented Bonati Spine Procedures for minimally invasive laser spine surgery, reports that recent studies indicate that many young athletes overuse their bodies and strike out too early. Armed with the correct information and tools, today’s young athletes can remain healthy, play safe and stay in the game of life.
Sports injuries among young athletes are on the rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high school athletes alone account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations every year.
“Regardless of whether the athlete is a professional, an amateur, an Olympian or a young recreational athlete, the number of sports injuries is increasing – but the escalation of injuries in kids is the most alarming,” said Dr. James Andrews, president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and STOP Sports Injuries Co-Campaign Chair. The campaign will educate athletes, parents, trainers, coaches and healthcare providers about the rapid increase in young sports injuries, the necessary steps to help reverse the trend and the need to keep young athletes healthy.
The increasing number of youth sports injuries affects everyone involved in a young athlete’s life – coaches, parents, trainers and healthcare providers. “It is important that young athletes stay healthy, stay on the field, and stay out of the operating room,” commented Alfred O. Bonati, M.D., creator of The Bonati Spine Procedures and Chief Surgeon at The Bonati Spine Institute.
Orthopaedic surgeons are currently seeing two trends: a rapid rise in the number of youth sports injuries and a drop in the age of young athletes with overuse injuries. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, every year more than 3.5 million children age 14 and younger are treated for sports injuries.
Lumbar spine pain accounts for 5 to 8% of athletic injuries. Although back pain is not the most common injury, it is one of the most challenging for the sports physician to diagnose and treat. Factors predisposing the young athlete to back injury include the growth spurt, abrupt increases in training intensity or frequency, improper technique, unsuitable sports equipment, and leg-length inequality.
For over 28 years, The Bonati Spine Institute has been the leader in least invasive outpatient spine surgery. Alfred O. Bonati, M.D. was the first to develop and patent methods and instruments for laser spine surgery to correct problems of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine known as The Bonati Spine Procedures. Their success rate of over 90% offers patients renewed hope. Available only at The Bonati Spine Institute, these gentle procedures have been performed successfully more than 35,000 times to treat conditions that include spinal stenosis, arthritis of the spine, herniated discs, bulging discs, whiplash, failed back surgery syndrome, and degenerative disc disease. For more information, visitwww.bonati.com.
