Preventing Overuse Injuries In Children

Some tips to keep you in the game throughout your life include:

1. Injury surveillance
   The National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) urges parents, coaches, athletic trainers and others in charge of young athletes to be vigilant in the surveillance and reporting of all injuries.
2. Pre-participation physical exams (PPEs)
   Student athletes are urged to undergo a physical examination prior to beginning a new sport (or prior to the start of a new sports season), in order to screen for potential risk factors.
3. Identification of physical risk factors
   Parents and coaches should also learn to recognize the anatomical factors that may predispose an athlete to overuse injuries, including bowed legs, knock knees, pelvic rotation and hypermobility.
4. Moderation
   The volume of sports activity is the most consistent predictor of overuse injury. Efforts should be made to limit the total amount of repetitive sports activity engaged in by pediatric athletes so as to prevent/reduce overuse injuries.
5. Training and conditioning programs
   NATA's position statement advocates incorporating a preseason or in-season preventative program to reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Additionally, young athletes should only participate in one team of the same sport per season. Training intensity, load, time and distance should only increase by 10 percent each week, in order to allow the child’s body to adapt and avoid overloading muscles and joints.
6. Delayed sports specialization
   Youth athletes are encouraged to participate in multiple sports and recreational activities throughout the year, to enhance general fitness and aid in motor development. They should also take time off between sports seasons and take two to three non-consecutive months away from a specific sport, if they participate in a single sport year-round.

Play smart

Athletes should avoid specializing in one sport before they reach puberty. Children should be encouraged to try a variety of sports. Participation in a particular sport should be limited to 5 days per week. Athletes should sign up for one team and one sport per season.

How to prevent burnout

To help prevent burnout in your child, follow the guidelines in this handout and the following:

• Keep your child's practice fun and age appropriate.
• Focus on your child's overall wellness, and teach them how to listen for problems with their bodies.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that young athletes who participate in a variety of sports tend to have fewer injuries and play longer, thereby maintaining a greater level of physical activity than those who specialize before puberty.
• Specialization in one sport may be associated with potentially burnout.
• Safety and success for younger athletes should be for children to play different sports and develop athleticism (versus sports-specific skills) and love of sports.

What to do if you suffer an injury

Encourage your child or athlete to contact his or her parent, coach, or athletic trainer to get evaluated by a sports medicine provider.

• Injury surveillance
  The National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) urges parents, coaches, athletic trainers and others in charge of young athletes to be vigilant in the surveillance and reporting of all injuries.
• Pre-participation physical exams (PPEs)
  Student athletes are urged to undergo a physical examination prior to beginning a new sport (or prior to the start of a new sports season), in order to screen for potential risk factors.
• Identification of physical risk factors
  Parents and coaches should also learn to recognize the anatomical factors that may predispose an athlete to overuse injuries, including bowed legs, knock knees, pelvic rotation and hypermobility.
• Moderation
  The volume of sports activity is the most consistent predictor of overuse injury. Efforts should be made to limit the total amount of repetitive sports activity engaged in by pediatric athletes so as to prevent/reduce overuse injuries.
• Training and conditioning programs
  NATA's position statement advocates incorporating a preseason or in-season preventative program to reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Additionally, young athletes should only participate in one team of the same sport per season. Training intensity, load, time and distance should only increase by 10 percent each week, in order to allow the child’s body to adapt and avoid overloading muscles and joints.
• Delayed sports specialization
  Youth athletes are encouraged to participate in multiple sports and recreational activities throughout the year, to enhance general fitness and aid in motor development. They should also take time off between sports seasons and take two to three non-consecutive months away from a specific sport, if they participate in a single sport year-round.