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Medical Updates

What Parents Should Know about Fall Sports Injuries

Author:

author

Sollis Health

Published: Sep 24, 2026

Updated: Oct 1, 2026

Fall sports bring back-to-back practices, tournament weekends, and the inevitable freezer ice packs. While most bumps and strains go away on their own with a little rest, more than 2.6 million children under 19 are treated in emergency departments each year for sport-related sprains, fractures, and overuse injuries. 

 

Fall sports injuries may be a part of growing up, but knowing which injuries are common to each sport—and which symptoms mean it's time to get checked out—will help you act quickly and confidently when something goes wrong.

In this article:

Key takeaways for parents:
What are the most common fall sports injuries in youth athletes?
Baseball and softball
Basketball 
Football 
Soccer 
Track and field 
When should you go to the ER for a youth sports injury?

Key takeaways for parents:

  • Ankle sprains, wrist fractures, knee ligament strains, and concussions are among the most common fall sports injuries in children and teens.
  • Some sport-specific injuries are preventable with proper technique, conditioning, and equipment—but prevention isn't foolproof.
  • Visible deformity, inability to bear weight, or confusion after a hit always warrant immediate medical attention.
  • Make a plan for when your child's pediatrician isn't available. Sollis Health can provide same-day evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment without a wait at the urgent care or ER. 

What are the most common fall sports injuries in youth athletes?

The most common fall sports injuries in children and teens include ankle sprains, wrist fractures, knee ligament strains, and concussions. The specific risks depend on the sport: throwing athletes (like baseball players) tend toward overuse injuries, while contact sports (like football) carry a higher risk of acute trauma like sprains, tears, and head injuries.

 

That being said, accidents happen and "low risk" doesn't mean "no risk."

Baseball and softball

Because throwing motions are repeated hundreds of times a season, baseball and softball players are especially prone to growth plate irritation in the shoulder and elbow. Growth plates—the areas of developing tissue near the ends of a child's bones—are softer than the surrounding ligaments and tendons, which is why an injury that would only sprain a joint in an adult can affect the growth plate in a child. 

 

How to avoid growth-plate irritation:

 

  • Follow pitch count rules.
  • Make sure your child knows proper throwing technique.
  • Make sure your child has days off to rest and avoid year-round baseball without an off-season.

How Sollis can help with growth-plate irritation and tendinitis: 

 

Early-stage growth plate irritation usually respond to rest, ice, and a temporary break from throwing. Growth plate injuries can be tricky to diagnose because the growth plate itself doesn't show up clearly on X-rays, so doctors sometimes compare images of both arms to check for differences. Because an improperly healed growth plate injury can affect how the bone grows, pain that doesn't ease within a few days, swelling near a joint, or pain during everyday arm movement should be evaluated before your child returns to the mound.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for tenderness and swelling at the growth plate
  • Provide an on-site X-ray if needed to rule out a fracture 
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedist or sports medicine doctor if additional evaluation and care is needed

Basketball 

Ankle sprains are among the most frequent basketball injuries, often the result of quick direction changes or landing awkwardly after a jump. A sprain happens when the ankle rolls inward, stretching or tearing the ligaments on the outer side of the joint.

 

How to avoid ankle sprains: 

 

  • Make sure your child has appropriate, well-fitting shoes with good ankle support.
  • Make sure your child is warming up before they play.
  • Consider ankle bracing or taping, especially if your child has had this injury before.

 

How Sollis can help with ankle sprains:

 

Mild sprains typically respond to the RICE method: rest, ice for 15-20 minutes at a time, compression with an elastic wrap, and elevating the ankle above heart level to control swelling. Gentle, pain-free range-of-motion exercises early on, such as tracing the alphabet with the foot, can help prevent long-term stiffness while the ligament heals.

 

If your child can't bear weight, hears or feels a pop at the time of injury, notices numbness in the foot, or the ankle swells significantly and bruises, you'll likely need immediate care 

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for tenderness, swelling, range of motion, and stability of the joint
  • Provide an on-site X-ray if needed to rule out a fracture, since sprains and fractures can feel very similar
  • Stabilize the injury with a brace, splint, or ACE wrap, or crutches if your child can't bear weight
  • Offer pain management to keep your child comfortable
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedist or sports medicine doctor if additional evaluation and care is needed

Want to Learn More About Sollis?

Find Your Plan

Football 

Concussions are a top concern in football, and any suspected head injury should be treated seriously—even if your child insists they feel fine. 

 

Common signs to watch for after any bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body include: pain or pressure in the head or neck, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light or visual disturbance, fainting or passing out, balance problems, lightheadedness or dizziness, ringing in the ears or loss of hearing, or mood, memory, or personality changes. Younger kids may not be able to describe these symptoms clearly, so parents and coaches often have to watch for the signs rather than wait to be told.

 

How to avoid concussions: 

 

  • Ensure your child learns and follows proper tackling techniques.
  • Provide them with properly fitted and certified equipment and protective gear, including softshell headgear or a Guardian padded helmet cap. 
  • Talk to their coach and your family doctor or pediatrician about limiting unnecessary contact reps in practice.

 

How Sollis can help with concussions: 

 

Any athlete with a suspected concussion should be removed from play immediately and not return until cleared by a medical professional. Concussion recovery centers on physical and cognitive rest in the first day or two, followed by a gradual, supervised return to school and sports over several days to weeks, moving to the next step only if new symptoms don't appear.

 

There are specific danger signs that call for emergency care right away, including repeated vomiting, worsening headache, slurred speech, seizures, or any loss of consciousness.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Talk you through your child's symptoms over the phone, helping you decide your best next steps
  • See your child in person with minimal waits for a detailed trauma and neurologic exam
  • Provide an on-site CT scan or MRI if your clinician determines imaging is indicated
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top neurologist or concussion specialist if additional evaluation and care is needed
  • If hospitalization is needed, Sollis can advocate for your child, coordinating their care, working on direct admissions, coordinating with specialists, and overall ensuring their visit is as seamless and comfortable as possible
  • Provide dedicated aftercare with regular check-ins to make sure your child's recovery is on track

Soccer 

Soccer involves frequent cutting, pivoting, and jumping, which puts young athletes at risk for tears of the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. This main stabilizing ligament connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. Many athletes feel or hear a pop in the knee at the moment of injury, followed by swelling, instability, and pain that makes it hard to bear weight.

 

How to avoid sprains or tears of knee ligaments:

 

  • Consider an ACL prevention program to correct muscle imbalances and improve jumping and cutting skills.
  • Talk with your child's coach about building targeted strength in the hamstrings, glutes, and hips, which help control the knee joint.
  • Be extra cautious around growth spurts and fatigue, which can temporarily degrade movement control, raising injury risk of the knee ligaments. 

 

How Sollis can help with knee ligament injury:

 

A suspected knee ligament injury needs prompt imaging (usually an MRI) and an orthopedic evaluation to determine the tear's severity and whether other structures, like the meniscus, are also involved. In the meantime, starting the RICE method right away—rest, ice, compression, and elevation—and keep weight off the knee until it's been assessed. Depending on the grade of the tear and the child's activity goals, treatment can range from physical therapy and bracing to surgical reconstruction, with recovery typically taking several months either way.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for swelling, stability, and range of motion, as well as pain management if needed
  • Provide an on-site X-ray to rule out a fracture
  • Facilitate an MRI if an ACL tear is suspected—a capability most traditional urgent cares don't have
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedic surgeon 

Track and field 

The repetitive impact of running makes shin splints and stress fractures common in track and field athletes, especially early in the season. Shin splints are pain along the inner edge of the shinbone caused by ongoing stress on the bone and surrounding tissue, most often in athletes who are new to running or who ramp up training too quickly. Consider them to be warning signs: if an athlete keeps training through shin splint pain, it can eventually lead to a stress fracture.

 

How to avoid shin stress fractures:

 

  • Make sure your child is engaging in a proper warm-up and cool-down at every practice. 
  • Stay aware of their training regimen. Most shin splints come from a rapid spike in training load that outpaces the bone's ability to adapt.
  • Get them proper, well-fitted footwear and replace regularly when needed. 
  • Don't ignore shin pain. If your child has shin splints, talk to their coach and your family doctor or pediatrician about addressing it with rest and/or cross-training. 

 

How Sollis can help with stress fractures:

 

Shin splints generally improve with rest, ice for 15 to 20 minutes several times a day, and a reduction in training load. Staying active with low-impact alternatives like swimming or biking, rather than stopping movement entirely, is generally recommended.

 

The harder call is telling shin splints apart from a stress fracture: shin splint pain tends to spread along a wider area of the shin and eases with rest, while a stress fracture causes pain concentrated at one specific point that can persist even at rest or during everyday walking. That kind of localized, persistent pain should be imaged rather than pushed through, since continuing to train on a stress fracture can turn a several-week recovery into a much longer one.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for pinpoint tenderness, swelling, and pain
  • Provide an on-site X-ray or advanced imaging, like an MRI, which is much more sensitive for catching stress reactions and fractures earlier than they would show on X-ray
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedist or sports medicine doctor if additional evaluation and care is needed

When should you go to the ER for a youth sports injury?

Most sports injuries don't require an emergency room visit—but some symptoms should never wait. 

 

Red flags that call for immediate advanced diagnostics:

  • Visible deformity or a bone that looks out of place
  • Inability to bear weight or move the injured area at all
  • A popping sound or sensation at the time of injury
  • Rapid, significant swelling or bruising
  • Numbness, tingling, or loss of sensation
  • Any loss of consciousness, confusion, dizziness, or repeated vomiting after a hit to the head
  • Pain that is severe, worsening, or unrelieved by rest and over-the-counter medication

 

When you're a Sollis member, you have 24/7 in-person and virtual access to concierge immediate care and ER-level care for 99% of injuries and illnesses. 

Exceptional Care. Immediately Available.

See Memberships

Experience Exceptional Care

Experience 24/7 access to board-certified physicians, advanced diagnostics, and concierge-level urgent and emergency care.

Join Now
Share
Post
LinkedIn

Experience Exceptional Care

Experience 24/7 access to board-certified physicians, advanced diagnostics, and concierge-level urgent and emergency care.

Join Now
Share
Post
LinkedIn
hero

Medical Updates

What Parents Should Know about Fall Sports Injuries

Author:

author

Sollis Health

Published:

Sep 24, 2026

Updated:

Oct 1, 2026

Fall sports bring back-to-back practices, tournament weekends, and the inevitable freezer ice packs. While most bumps and strains go away on their own with a little rest, more than 2.6 million children under 19 are treated in emergency departments each year for sport-related sprains, fractures, and overuse injuries. 

 

Fall sports injuries may be a part of growing up, but knowing which injuries are common to each sport—and which symptoms mean it's time to get checked out—will help you act quickly and confidently when something goes wrong.

In this article:

Key takeaways for parents:

  • Ankle sprains, wrist fractures, knee ligament strains, and concussions are among the most common fall sports injuries in children and teens.
  • Some sport-specific injuries are preventable with proper technique, conditioning, and equipment—but prevention isn't foolproof.
  • Visible deformity, inability to bear weight, or confusion after a hit always warrant immediate medical attention.
  • Make a plan for when your child's pediatrician isn't available. Sollis Health can provide same-day evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment without a wait at the urgent care or ER. 

What are the most common fall sports injuries in youth athletes?

The most common fall sports injuries in children and teens include ankle sprains, wrist fractures, knee ligament strains, and concussions. The specific risks depend on the sport: throwing athletes (like baseball players) tend toward overuse injuries, while contact sports (like football) carry a higher risk of acute trauma like sprains, tears, and head injuries.

 

That being said, accidents happen and "low risk" doesn't mean "no risk."

Baseball and softball

Because throwing motions are repeated hundreds of times a season, baseball and softball players are especially prone to growth plate irritation in the shoulder and elbow. Growth plates—the areas of developing tissue near the ends of a child's bones—are softer than the surrounding ligaments and tendons, which is why an injury that would only sprain a joint in an adult can affect the growth plate in a child. 

 

How to avoid growth-plate irritation:

 

  • Follow pitch count rules.
  • Make sure your child knows proper throwing technique.
  • Make sure your child has days off to rest and avoid year-round baseball without an off-season.

How Sollis can help with growth-plate irritation and tendinitis: 

 

Early-stage growth plate irritation usually respond to rest, ice, and a temporary break from throwing. Growth plate injuries can be tricky to diagnose because the growth plate itself doesn't show up clearly on X-rays, so doctors sometimes compare images of both arms to check for differences. Because an improperly healed growth plate injury can affect how the bone grows, pain that doesn't ease within a few days, swelling near a joint, or pain during everyday arm movement should be evaluated before your child returns to the mound.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for tenderness and swelling at the growth plate
  • Provide an on-site X-ray if needed to rule out a fracture 
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedist or sports medicine doctor if additional evaluation and care is needed

Basketball 

Ankle sprains are among the most frequent basketball injuries, often the result of quick direction changes or landing awkwardly after a jump. A sprain happens when the ankle rolls inward, stretching or tearing the ligaments on the outer side of the joint.

 

How to avoid ankle sprains: 

 

  • Make sure your child has appropriate, well-fitting shoes with good ankle support.
  • Make sure your child is warming up before they play.
  • Consider ankle bracing or taping, especially if your child has had this injury before.

 

How Sollis can help with ankle sprains:

 

Mild sprains typically respond to the RICE method: rest, ice for 15-20 minutes at a time, compression with an elastic wrap, and elevating the ankle above heart level to control swelling. Gentle, pain-free range-of-motion exercises early on, such as tracing the alphabet with the foot, can help prevent long-term stiffness while the ligament heals.

 

If your child can't bear weight, hears or feels a pop at the time of injury, notices numbness in the foot, or the ankle swells significantly and bruises, you'll likely need immediate care 

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for tenderness, swelling, range of motion, and stability of the joint
  • Provide an on-site X-ray if needed to rule out a fracture, since sprains and fractures can feel very similar
  • Stabilize the injury with a brace, splint, or ACE wrap, or crutches if your child can't bear weight
  • Offer pain management to keep your child comfortable
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedist or sports medicine doctor if additional evaluation and care is needed

Want to Learn More About Sollis?

Find Your Plan

Football 

Concussions are a top concern in football, and any suspected head injury should be treated seriously—even if your child insists they feel fine. 

 

Common signs to watch for after any bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body include: pain or pressure in the head or neck, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light or visual disturbance, fainting or passing out, balance problems, lightheadedness or dizziness, ringing in the ears or loss of hearing, or mood, memory, or personality changes. Younger kids may not be able to describe these symptoms clearly, so parents and coaches often have to watch for the signs rather than wait to be told.

 

How to avoid concussions: 

 

  • Ensure your child learns and follows proper tackling techniques.
  • Provide them with properly fitted and certified equipment and protective gear, including softshell headgear or a Guardian padded helmet cap. 
  • Talk to their coach and your family doctor or pediatrician about limiting unnecessary contact reps in practice.

 

How Sollis can help with concussions: 

 

Any athlete with a suspected concussion should be removed from play immediately and not return until cleared by a medical professional. Concussion recovery centers on physical and cognitive rest in the first day or two, followed by a gradual, supervised return to school and sports over several days to weeks, moving to the next step only if new symptoms don't appear.

 

There are specific danger signs that call for emergency care right away, including repeated vomiting, worsening headache, slurred speech, seizures, or any loss of consciousness.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Talk you through your child's symptoms over the phone, helping you decide your best next steps
  • See your child in person with minimal waits for a detailed trauma and neurologic exam
  • Provide an on-site CT scan or MRI if your clinician determines imaging is indicated
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top neurologist or concussion specialist if additional evaluation and care is needed
  • If hospitalization is needed, Sollis can advocate for your child, coordinating their care, working on direct admissions, coordinating with specialists, and overall ensuring their visit is as seamless and comfortable as possible
  • Provide dedicated aftercare with regular check-ins to make sure your child's recovery is on track

Soccer 

Soccer involves frequent cutting, pivoting, and jumping, which puts young athletes at risk for tears of the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. This main stabilizing ligament connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. Many athletes feel or hear a pop in the knee at the moment of injury, followed by swelling, instability, and pain that makes it hard to bear weight.

 

How to avoid sprains or tears of knee ligaments:

 

  • Consider an ACL prevention program to correct muscle imbalances and improve jumping and cutting skills.
  • Talk with your child's coach about building targeted strength in the hamstrings, glutes, and hips, which help control the knee joint.
  • Be extra cautious around growth spurts and fatigue, which can temporarily degrade movement control, raising injury risk of the knee ligaments. 

 

How Sollis can help with knee ligament injury:

 

A suspected knee ligament injury needs prompt imaging (usually an MRI) and an orthopedic evaluation to determine the tear's severity and whether other structures, like the meniscus, are also involved. In the meantime, starting the RICE method right away—rest, ice, compression, and elevation—and keep weight off the knee until it's been assessed. Depending on the grade of the tear and the child's activity goals, treatment can range from physical therapy and bracing to surgical reconstruction, with recovery typically taking several months either way.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for swelling, stability, and range of motion, as well as pain management if needed
  • Provide an on-site X-ray to rule out a fracture
  • Facilitate an MRI if an ACL tear is suspected—a capability most traditional urgent cares don't have
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedic surgeon 

Track and field 

The repetitive impact of running makes shin splints and stress fractures common in track and field athletes, especially early in the season. Shin splints are pain along the inner edge of the shinbone caused by ongoing stress on the bone and surrounding tissue, most often in athletes who are new to running or who ramp up training too quickly. Consider them to be warning signs: if an athlete keeps training through shin splint pain, it can eventually lead to a stress fracture.

 

How to avoid shin stress fractures:

 

  • Make sure your child is engaging in a proper warm-up and cool-down at every practice. 
  • Stay aware of their training regimen. Most shin splints come from a rapid spike in training load that outpaces the bone's ability to adapt.
  • Get them proper, well-fitted footwear and replace regularly when needed. 
  • Don't ignore shin pain. If your child has shin splints, talk to their coach and your family doctor or pediatrician about addressing it with rest and/or cross-training. 

 

How Sollis can help with stress fractures:

 

Shin splints generally improve with rest, ice for 15 to 20 minutes several times a day, and a reduction in training load. Staying active with low-impact alternatives like swimming or biking, rather than stopping movement entirely, is generally recommended.

 

The harder call is telling shin splints apart from a stress fracture: shin splint pain tends to spread along a wider area of the shin and eases with rest, while a stress fracture causes pain concentrated at one specific point that can persist even at rest or during everyday walking. That kind of localized, persistent pain should be imaged rather than pushed through, since continuing to train on a stress fracture can turn a several-week recovery into a much longer one.

 

At Sollis, our ER-trained clinicians can:

 

  • Provide a physical exam, checking for pinpoint tenderness, swelling, and pain
  • Provide an on-site X-ray or advanced imaging, like an MRI, which is much more sensitive for catching stress reactions and fractures earlier than they would show on X-ray
  • Expedite your child's specialist appointment with a top pediatric orthopedist or sports medicine doctor if additional evaluation and care is needed

When should you go to the ER for a youth sports injury?

Most sports injuries don't require an emergency room visit—but some symptoms should never wait. 

 

Red flags that call for immediate advanced diagnostics:

  • Visible deformity or a bone that looks out of place
  • Inability to bear weight or move the injured area at all
  • A popping sound or sensation at the time of injury
  • Rapid, significant swelling or bruising
  • Numbness, tingling, or loss of sensation
  • Any loss of consciousness, confusion, dizziness, or repeated vomiting after a hit to the head
  • Pain that is severe, worsening, or unrelieved by rest and over-the-counter medication

 

When you're a Sollis member, you have 24/7 in-person and virtual access to concierge immediate care and ER-level care for 99% of injuries and illnesses. 

Exceptional Care. Immediately Available.

See Memberships

Experience Exceptional Care

Experience 24/7 access to board-certified physicians, advanced diagnostics, and concierge-level urgent and emergency care.

Join Now
Share
Post
LinkedIn