Obese Children More Likely to Suffer Lower Body Injuries

“The bones and muscles of the lower body appear to be more vulnerable to injury in obese children than their lighter peers, a new study suggests. The study analyzed the weight and injuries of kids who visited a children's hospital's emergency department over a three-year period. Sprains, such as to the ankle or leg, were the most common lower body injuries, and sent more than 23,000 children to the emergency department at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center between 2005 and early 2008. ‘Because obese patients have an increased body mass and force, they are more likely to twist or roll on a lower extremity and cause injury than the non-obese children..."

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=626624