Sports injuries in the young athlete.

Children and adolescents increasingly are participating in competitive sports, and there has been a corresponding rise in the incidence of sports-related injuries in this group. Many sports injuries follow the same patterns as are seen in adults, but the developing musculoskeletal system is uniquely susceptible to other types of injury. This review describes anatomic and developmental aspects that result in increased susceptibility to injury and the magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of immature cartilage, marrow, and menisci. Injuries that are usually or exclusively encountered in children and adolescents are emphasized.