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All told, CIRP estimates that 1.3 million high school athletes were injured in the 2009-2010 school year. In fact, high school football players have twice as many serious, season-ending injuries as college players, even though college players are injured more frequently. And the estimates are even higher for kids under age 14: about 3.5 million sustained injuries, according to Safe Kids USA. The reason middle school athletes are so vulnerable is that students are developing at different rates. "You could have a small kid against a kid who is much bigger and more physically mature, and that imbalance in size and speed can result in a lot of harm," explains Dr. Halstead.

From Family Circle