TaylorJay Roberts started playing sports at age 6.

The 16-year-old has tried everything from gymnastics, softball and baseball to barrel racing, ice skating and lacrosse.

Years of sports have resulted in some injuries. TaylorJay has hurt her knee and foot and recently suffered a concussion.

Dr. Patrick Mularoni, medical director of pediatric sports medicine at All Children’s Hospital, is treating TaylorJay for her head injury.

Mularoni says he’s seeing more severe injuries in younger patients.

A new “Safe Kids” reports says 1.24 million children were seen in emergency rooms for sports injuries last year.

"In children, they have open growth plates, so we see injuries to those growth plates and to the areas around the growth plate that are unique to children," Mularoni said. “So when an adult practices on an extended amount of time, they might tear a ligament, but for a child, they could tear that ligament away from a bone, which is sometimes a more serious injury."

The risk of serious injury and overusing muscles increase when a young athlete concentrates on one sport year-round.

"It’s okay to specialize early, but you need to provide a child two to three months a year of an off-season, where they’re not playing that sport,” Mularoni said. “Maybe playing another sport so they’re building muscles in a different way, building their balance in a different way and becoming better at something else, as well."

Unlike some of her friends, TaylorJay says she’s never felt pressure to perform at an elite level. She plays sports because she enjoys them.

TaylorJay is going to therapy and looking forward to being cleared to go back on the field.

"It’s just a lot of worries of, 'am I going to be able to pick up my reaction time? Am I going to be able to remember a lot of the things that I need to be able to do in order to perform right?' " she said.