Millions of Americans are getting the physical fitness message. There's currently a boom in athletic activity among Americans of all ages, and this increased exercise helps prevent obesity and disease, build strength, relieve stress and promote overall well-being.

The bad news is that active people are experiencing more injuries than ever before. 

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 3.5 million children in the U.S. were treated for sports-related injuries in 2003. Among baby boomers, sports-related emergency room injuries escalated by 33% from 1991 to 1998.

Even injuries among seniors 65 and over jumped 54% from 1990 to1996.

In light of these numbers, and to offer the latest research on how athletes can stay fit and injury-free, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) teamed up Oct. 18 to host "Life Cycle of the Athlete" at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Divided into four topics, "Life Cycle of the Athlete" highlighted several key findings.

1. Youth & High School Sport Injuries: Can The Epidemic Be Stopped? by Alvin H. Crawford, MD, director of pediatric orthopedics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Jon Almquist, ATC, director of athletic training services at Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia:

• 10% of the 30-35 million American kids playing organized sports each year will become injured.
• There is a growing concern that minor injuries, if left untreated, may become serious injuries by junior high or high school.
• Coaches, athletic trainers, parents and physicians need to monitor training and competitive activities of young athletes, modify the factors that place athletes at acute risk of injury, and enforce periods of "relative rest" when necessary. 
• Since 1984, high school sports participation has increased by 27% (18% for boys and 40% for girls.)

2. The Gen X Woman: Strength, Stress & Self, by Letha Y. "Etty" Griffin, MD, PhD, Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic in Atlanta, and Elaine Winslow-Redmond, MS, ATC, head athletic trainer for the Radio City Rockettes:

• Generation X women should remember that to be an excellent caregiver, one must first care for oneself, through proper diet, adequate sleep and appropriate exercise.
• Mothers who exercise serve as excellent role models for their children.
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently revised its guidelines to increase the level and intensity of exercise it recommends during pregnancy.
• Articles in leading journals concur that regular exercise for pregnant women is safe and beneficial. 

3. Boomeritis and Beyond, by Nicholas A. DiNubile, MD, clinical assistant professor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Marjorie J. Albohm, MS, ATC, director of orthopedic research and business development at OrthoIndy in Indianapolis:

• Musculoskeletal ailments have now surpassed the common cold as the No. 1 reason for visits to physicians.
• There are weak links that increase the vulnerability of the musculoskeletal frame, and internal structural, biomechanical, and biochemical changes that occur in muscles, bones and joints that occur as a result of aging.
• Humans have doubled their life expectancy in the last 100 years, but their musculoskeletal frame was not designed to last that long.
• Boomers are the first generation to try to stay active on an aging frame, which has resulted in a dramatic increase in musculoskeletal ailments as well as injuries.
• Going "all out" and ignoring pain can no longer be the exercise pattern of physically active boomers.

4. The Independence of the Active Senior, by Vonda J. Wright, MD, sports fellow at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, and Kent Biggerstaff, ATC, athletic trainer and director of competition and venues with the Pittsburgh Local Organizing Committee for the 2005 Senior Olympics:

• Active aging is a key element in preventing the loss of independence frequently experienced by sedentary seniors. 
• One-third of seniors are obese and 70% do not engage in 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day.
• More than 35 illnesses can be positively impacted by exercise and many of the 250,000 deaths per year attributed to a sedentary lifestyle may be avoided. 
• Two times per week is enough for strength exercises, while cardio and stretching exercises can be a daily activity.
• Exercisers need to maintain proper form, select proper footwear and monitor the number of sets and repetitions to lessen injury risk.

For more information visit www.aaos.org and www.nata.org.

Jonathan Bassett is associate editor of ADVANCE.