Overtraining Young Athletes May Lead to Injuries
Early Sport Specialization May Place Athletes at Risk
Jun 11, 2009
Overuse injuries are increasingly common in young athletes. The culture of early sport specialization, year-round sports, and competing on multiple teams can lead to overtraining taking a toll on the muscles, tendons, and bones of young athletes.
Adolescent athletes are more at risk for injury because their bones are growing. Young bones cannot handle the same amount of stress that an adult's bones can. Unique to young athletes, the epiphyseal growth plates located at the ends of long bones do not ossify until the athlete is finished growing. Any injury to these growth plates can have serious implications to a young athlete.
Historically, young athletes participated in multiple sports throughout the year. The benefit was that different muscle groups were taxed during different seasons. This allowed for adequate time to rest, heal, and recover of specific muscle groups as the seasons (and sports) changed.
Youth Sport Culture
Competition for spots on elite club teams for the purpose of landing college scholarships has driven the trend of young athletes specializing in one sport at younger and younger ages. It is not uncommon to see young athletes practicing two to three hours a day, five days a week, and then competing in multiple games in tournaments on the weekends.
This early specialization may award the young athlete with a college scholarship, but it may also come with a price. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released guidelines to assist physicians in identifying and counseling athletes who may be at risk of injury from overtraining.
Categories of Overuse Injuries
Overuse injuries can be classified according to the time of pain. The categories are on a continuum from minor to more severe and include:
- Pain after the activity
- Pain during the activity that does not affects the activity
- Pain during the activity that affects the activity
- Constant pain even at rest
Most minor injuries can be treated with rest and ice. However, injuries that continue to affect the athlete and the athlete’s performance need to be referred to a physician for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Guidelines from American Academy of Pediatrics to Prevent Overuse Injuries
The goal for parents is to prevent overuse injuries before they occur. The American Academy of Pediatrics (American Family Physician, December, 2007) has released a set of guidelines to prevent overuse injuries in young athletes. The guidelines include:
- Limiting each sport activity to five days a week (including competitive play, sports specific training, and scrimmage)
- Resting one day a week from all physical activity
- Taking two to three months off of sports per year
- Increasing weekly training time, number of repetitions, and total distance by no more than ten percent each week
The guidelines listed above were designed to provide physical rest for active, young, developing bodies. Young athletes may be at risk to over train when pressured to excel by either their peers, parents, or coaches. Educating coaches, athletes, and their families on guidelines to prevent overuse injuries is a good starting place.
Children and their families also need to be educated to recognize the signs and symptoms of overuse injuries. Young athletes need to be encouraged to communicate to their parents and coaches when they have injuries, and to take the appropriate steps to rest and treat their injuries so that they do not turn in to chronic injuries.
