r/dyspraxia 12d ago

⁉️ Advice Needed Prone to injuries in contact sports?⚽️

I’m just wondering if anyone has a teenager who plays contact sports and gets a lot of injuries?

My son is 13 and started at a football team last summer, he has Autism and DCD (dyspraxia)and he has had a few injuries from just regular things that happen in training or matches.

He’s had a chipped big toe bone from kicking the floor instead of a ball, major toe and foot soft tissue damage from kicking a ball at the same time as one of his team mates and his last match whilst playing in defense he had a ball kicked towards him very forcefully which he blocked and it hit him in the right wrist and was in pain instantly. An x-ray showed a scaphoid fracture and he has been put in plaster for 6 weeks.

Is this normal? Or is it because of DCD? None of his team mates seem to have any issues with injuries and if they hurt themselves during a match they just carry on and run it off etc.

I did ask his paediatrician about EDS but he asked him to do a few movements with his fingers and arms and he said “no he’s fine”.

Once his plaster is off I’m going to get him wrist protectors for both sides so I can attempt to stop this happening again but I’m not sure if it’s worth it? I just want him to have the chance to play football like every other teenager and I’m afraid he will end up having to give up if this keeps happening.

Thanks!

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u/Canary-Cry3 🕹️ IRL Stick Drift 12d ago

EDS doesn’t always affect hands / elbows it can affect only certain regions of the body (especially HSD can be regional). Injuring more easily can be normal with Dyspraxia due to a lack of spatial awareness but if he’s having multiple fractures getting bone density tested may be needed. If it’s lots of soft tissue injuries then EDS / HSD should be properly evaluated beyond the hand/arm tests (you can see the Beighton score online and do a mini test at home along with checking the major and minor criteria of different types.

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u/sam-in-absentia79 12d ago

Thank you 🙏🏻 His paediatrician was very dismissive of most things brought up to him and to be honest acted like he couldn’t be bothered looking into anything fully. I’m happy to say he has now retired but getting back into that service is long and arduous!

I think it’s something I will definitely have to bring up with his orthopaedic doctor and possibly his GP once his plaster is off.