No parent wants to see their child sidelined with an injury suffered during a school or weekend sports activity, but child injuries are on the rise according to Bay Area doctors.
Doctors at Oakland's Children's Hospital say they are seeing patients as young as 7 and 8 years old with things like ACL tears.
Most of the issues are able to be corrected with physical therapy, but doctors say the injuries put young athletes at higher risk for long term problems, including degenerative arthritis.
So how do to prevent the injuries?
Experts say start early, with simple exercises and workouts designed to strengthen a young body.
The Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes has a a number of programs you can download at this link.