"The Growing Athlete"-Issue 1

According to a recent study by the CDC, approximately 38% of children ages 9 to 13 participate in some form of organized sport. In many instances, these young athletes are now "specializing" in a single sport year round. Today’s media does not help to discourage this mindset. Tiger Woods started putting on late night TV as early as 2. More recently, European soccer teams have been battling over the rights to sign a seven year old phenom, Madin Mohammad, to play on their team in the future.
The American Academy of Pediatrics poses some legitimate concerns about both the short and long term consequences of this type of sport specialization at an early age. By specializing, these athletes are exposing repetitive stress and fatigue on specific areas of the body required by their sport. As a result, more than 3.5 million children under the age of 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries annually. According to the National Center for Sports Safety, nearly half of these athletic injuries in middle and high school students have resulted from overuse.

Immature bones, insufficient post-injury rest, and poor training and conditioning contribute to these overuse injuries.

The largest contributing factor that separates these young athletes from their adult counter parts is the fact that their bones are still growing. Regardless of their talent, young athletes are simply not "little adults", and their medical care and rehabilitation process should take that factor into account.
One of the most important factors to address in the pediatric and adolescent athletic population is the growth plate.

In adults, ligaments usually fail before bone when a bending stress is applied across a joint. However, in an immature skeleton, the “physis” or growth plate will fail under stress first. Because of this factor, children and adolescents often incur injuries entirely different than adults.

What may appear to be an ankle sprain, tendonitis or a muscle strain, might in fact be an overuse injury or fracture of the growth plate. Often these injuries are missed under normal examinations. Request an x-ray to rule out growth plate injuries. Early and accurate diagnosis can prevent long-term injuries and will allow the young athlete to return safely to the sport. Remember, young athletes deserve specialized care for their growing bones. For more information, contact you local physician or physical therapist.

References:

1. Wojciechowski, Michele. "Working with Kids: Physical Therapy and the Pediatric Athlete." PTmagizine (2007). 3 Sept. 2007 .

2. McHorse, Kevin. "Pediatric and Orthopedic Sports Medicine." The Dogwood Institute (2009). Nov. 2009