Children in our society continue to be active in sports at an early age. Both boys and girls are involved in collision and contact sports and renal trauma can be a significant problem. The kidney is the most frequently injured genitourinary organ. Therefore, a child with a solitary kidney should take care to reduce the possibility of injury. To avoid damage or injury to a lone kidney, a restriction on contact sports should be encouraged. When determining the risk of injury to a solitary kidney, several things should be considered including: type of sport, level of competition, anatomic location of the kidney, and presence of a congenital kidney malformation.

Although opinions differ about participation in contact sports, the AMA list of contraindications disqualifies any athlete with renal disease or solitary kidney from collision or contact sports. If the solitary kidney is deformed or impaired, there would be no doubt the child should exclude these kinds of activities.

The following is a classification of contact sports which should be discussed with your doctor to determine what level of activity would be appropriate for your child.

Classification of Sports

Strenuous Contact

Ice hockey Wrestling Football Lacrosse (boys)

Limited Contact

Basketball Soccer Volleyball Lacrosse (girls) Field hockey Skiing

Non Contact

Cross country Crew Fencing Gymnastics Swimming Tennis Track and field

Moderately Strenuous

Basketball (also considered a limited contact sport) Badminton Golf

Non Strenuous

Archery Bowling Riflery