Youth sports have gotten very competitive with an increased emphasis on success which leads to higher intensity training at younger and younger ages. These concerns increase as children train harder, compete more frequently and focus more heavily on a certain sport, instead of more general fundamentals and skills. All these factors can lead to overuse injuries and burnout from the repetitive application of submaximal stress on normal tissues.
Understanding important factors that may lead to these overuse injuries
- Adolescents experience less flexibility during a growth spurt. Their bones grow faster than the surrounding muscles and tendons, which can leave them with less flexibility during this time. This leads to extra stress to the attachment sites of these tendons, which are still growing and are therefore weaker, and thus lead to damage to the outer layer of bone. The flexibility loss can be a problem for the tendons themselves because they are going to be more taut prior to activity. This will increase the susceptibility of those tendons to tendonitis, which is where the tendons get inflamed and also can start to degenerate if not properly cared for.
- Prior injury and higher training volumes are strong contributors of future overuse injury such as muscle imbalances. It is much more common these days that young athletes are spending a significant amount of time in one week, dedicated to only one sport. This can lead to muscle imbalances as certain muscles are used more than others during a particular sport. Unlike adults, a young athlete has not trained for years in multiple sports and likely haven’t started any weight training. Cross training and weight training can help to improve muscle imbalance, the avoidance of asymmetrical strain on the bones, and possibly misalignment leading to improper mechanics, which will eventually lead to early wear and tear to the body.
- Ill-fitting equipment and over scheduling, such as multiple competition events in the same day or over consecutive days, may also contribute to overuse injury for obvious reasons.
A variety of activities can help with prevention
Diversified training during childhood may be more effective in developing elite-level skills. A variety of activities, and even cross training, in the early years can help with the fundamentals like balance, coordination, agility and action time. Then kids have a solid foundation when they are older and want to focus on one or two sports.
Ensure your young athlete is regularly performing an appropriate combination of warm up, stretch and cool down with each practice or game. If this is not occurring, speak with the coach or seek assistance from someone who is comfortable in leading the team or instructing the coach in this process.
Cross training through either other sports, or through weight lifting, especially in the off season will help to both even out muscle bulk to avoid muscle imbalances and to prepare the tissues so that the start of the new season isn’t a shock to the young athlete’s body.
As the parent, you may be the first to notice symptoms of an overuse injury developing in your child. In a young athlete, many of these overuse injuries that occur can be taken care of quickly, if treated appropriately. Knowing when to stop and seek professional help is often the largest factor in getting the young athlete back to what they love best, playing their sport at their maximum potential.
Let our skilled therapists help your young athlete get back to their active pain-free lifestyle, contact our office at 403.556.9911 to schedule an appointment.
