Special Report: From PE Class To ER
As the childhood obesity epidemic soars out of control, parents and schools encourage children to get active and participate in physical education. Now, a new study reveals a surge in injuries among children during P.E. class.
It’s the time and place for kids to run around, get exercise, learn new sports and, get hurt?
“Me and my friend tripped over each other and we both hurt our ankles,” said sixth-grader Lindsay Moore.
Injuries during gym class are on the rise. The sports and activities aren’t getting harder or more advanced, instead, kids are getting hurt doing basic movements.
“I was running and I tripped over myself,” said sixth grader, Courtney Hanson.
P.E. teachers say most injuries are from a lack of use. These days, instead of running around outside for fun, kids play indoors where they sit barely moving a muscle.
“I play on the computer and then watch TV on the computer,” said Hanson.
“There’s a lot of sedentary lifestyles here and when we try to get them out here in P.E. to do activities, their body isn’t used to the activity,” said Bob Quattlebaum, P.E. teacher at John Glenn Middle School.
Running may not seem like a dangerous activity that’s going to cause some to get hurt, but P.E. teachers say many kids come to class without knowing basic movements. This lack of skill causes them to get hurt while doing simple activities.
We have kids who come in and can’t run, they can’t jump, they can’t throw,” said Quattlebaum.
Research shows, most injuries are minor cuts, aches and strains. However, over a ten year span gym class injuries have sent more than 400 thousand children to the hospital. That’s a 150 percent increase.
“We see kids with injuries that occur in school in sports or P.E. class like falls, cuts, broken bones,” said Dr. Frank Domzalski of Eisenhower Medical Center.
Domzalski said the obesity epidemic is part of the problem.
“Children who are overweight are less likely to exercise because it’s harder,” said Domzalski.
In addition to the lack of exercise, some think the lack of resources in schools are also to blame.
“In schools, class sizes are larger and there might be less supervision,” said Domzalski.
Massive education budget cuts eliminated trained P.E. coaches at some schools, replacing them with classroom teachers.
“They’re not trained for that and don’t know what to do. You wouldn’t want a nonqualified teacher teaching the core classes like math, science or social studies,” said Quattlebaum.
Teachers say the injuries and obesity are problems too heavy for schools to solve alone. They say parents need to make sure their children play real games outside instead of virtual games on TV or the computer.
“Whether running in the front yard or playing tag or catch, whatever it is, you have to get out,” said Quattlebaum.
Although there are many possible reasons for the increase in P.E. injuries, the one simple solution is to get moving — doctors say, the benefits outrun the risks.
