We live in a culture that loves sports. The drive to be the
best is incredible even at a young age. The drive results in kids beginning
sports at younger and younger ages. Training for this is year around and
includes activities previously reserved for more mature bodies. As a result,
there has been a steady climb in the amount of injuries in young athletes in
spite of the advancement of medicine. I personally see more athletes that are
under the age of 12 with overuse injuries than I ever thought I would see when
I went to physical therapy school. An article in the in the Minneapolis Star Tribune was recently brought
to my attention and the content is shocking. The study referenced in the
article is from the Journal of Athletic Training and was done on collegiate
athletes. Here are the abbreviated results:
573 athletes
1,317 injuries
29%=overuse injury
27% general stress
21% inflammation
16% tendinitis
I know this was done in collegiate athletes, but it makes me
wonder, if these athletes are breaking down at this rate, how in the world are
young athletes expected to hold up? I often am asked if a young injured athlete
can continue at their current activity level and still recover. The answer is a
simple “no”. Your body needs rest to heal and it cannot heal if excessive
demands on placed on a developing body. The injury can always be managed, but
it will never completely go away unless there is time for recovery. If the underlying is not addressed the
athlete will be predisposed to future injuries.
The morale of the story is that young athletes are at a
great risk for overuse injuries due to their training regimens. Overuse
injuries need time to heal. If not addressed now, there will be future
complications.
Josiah Thunshelle, PT
1. Teen athletes in overdrive find bodies can't keep up. Minneapolis Star Tribune.
2. Yang, J, Tibbetts, A, et al. Journal of Athletic Training. 2012; 47
(2):198-204.
