Sports injury due to excessive practice or a high number of games is a problem in childhood competitive sports. However, there have been few nationwide investigations of injury during the growth phase, especially in school-age children. We carried out an unsigned questionnaire survey to investigate sports injuries in young players who participated in nationwide schools table tennis competitions, focusing on consultation with medical institutions. The rate of consultation with medical institutions, such as hospitals, was low for sport injuries in schoolchildren. There is a need to have a sense of urgency about this, and to reconsider what orthopedic surgeons should do in connection with sports-related medical examinations in future. It is important for orthopedic surgeons to be well versed in sports medical examination, and to be able to offer rehabilitation and conditioning with a view to a return to sport, placing emphasis on not only diagnosis and medical treatment, but also injury prevention.
