There have been some studies which indicate injuries do peak around this time, however the evidence is limited.
A nationwide study on children from last year found that 13 year olds were the most likely to sustain running-related injuries. The injuries were mostly falls caused by tripping over their own feet.
A new review article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine sheds light on why these awkward tweens may be prone to injury.
Researchers analyzed over 30 studies which focused on how children, adolescents, and adults learn to control and position their bodies. The process is very complex, involving a number of mechanisms, such as vision, sensation, hearing, muscular control and different areas in the brain.
These mechanisms may not yet be fully developed in the young adolescent.
Basically, the developing body has trouble combining sensory and motor functions, which can lead to impaired coordination. Visual and sensory mechanisms help to detect the body's orientation in space. Children appear to need more time to adapt their posture in response to what they see in the environment. Also, input from sensory receptors found in skin and joints, which help to maintain a stable posture, may not be as sensitive in children.
The inner ear, which detects head movement and plays a role in balance, may be the slowest sensory system to mature. In addition, this system may mature a few years earlier in girls than in boys.
Adolescents were also found to have difficulty processing sensory information and producing the appropriate motor response. Researchers found that they actually used different areas of the brain, in comparison with adults, in order to direct and integrate movements.
The shift in brain regions and function occurs around the same time as growth spurts, which could be one reason that coordination is negatively affected.
The majority of children grow out of this uncoordinated stage. However, if a child is actively participating in sports and sustaining injuries that frequently land them in the Emergency Department, it may be wise to implement some balance training into their exercise regimen.
