After attending the Health Hot Buttons For Families workshop at Rush, I was overwhelmed with a wealth of information. I am thrilled to share some of these issues with you and hope you'll keep them in mind or pass this along to other parents, coaches and caregivers. Several renown physicians took time out of their busy schedules to talk with us about how to prevent the sports injuries that keep them in business. The first topic I'd like to address is overuse sports injuries in children.
Overuse Sports Injuries in Children
While I don't think this applies to my kids, yet, overuse injuries have become a serious problem. According to the CDC, more than 5 million kids under the age of 18 suffer a sports-related injury each year with approximately half of these due to overuse.
Even since I was a kid, (OMG, I just said that. I'm not even 30 yet!) I have noticed an increase in youth competition. Perhaps this generation of parents is so determined to live vicariously they are pushing their children too hard? No matter the cause, awareness needs to be priority.
Instead of playing a different sport each season, kids are focusing an entire year on activities requiring repetitive motion of young, growing joints. They go from training camp, to the regular season to the travel team without any break from that particular sport. Whether they are pitching, rowing, or swimming, sports medicine experts are warning against focusing on one sport and one position.
Dr. Greg Nicholson, Sports Medicine Physician, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, and Team Physician for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls, offered the following tips and things to watch for.
Tips for Avoiding Overuse Sports Injuries in Children
- WHEN IN DOUBT KEEP THEM OUT
- Know pitch counts
- For throwing athletes, don't pitch on consecutive days
- Be mindful of proper mechanics
- Don't play one sport year round
- No weight training on game day
- 3 month break for ALL overhand sports
- 3 Sports are better than 1!
Watch for these Warning Signs:
- Psychological burnout
- This may come in the form of abnormal attention seeking, faking illness to get out of participation, anger, etc.
- Pain or unusual movement
- Really competitive kids may try to hide an injury to avoid missing any action. Changing motions to accommodate the pain is common and can cause permanent damage.
Matt Lesniak, DPT, Assistant Director of Throwing Program at Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers explained a lot about mechanics and how proper form is more important than speed. Age is also an extremely important factor. NO BREAKING BALLS UNTIL YOU CAN SHAVE!
The bottom line: As parents we need to watch closely and listen carefully to our children. Sports are supposed to be fun. A little healthy competition is great, however not all our kids are destined for the Olympics or major leagues. Let the kids be kids! 🙂
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Julie Wood says
This is good information to know about stopping overuse injuries in children. I think a lot of kids do not think about it when they get out there and play sports. I know that when I was a kid playing sports, no one ever talked about overuse injuries. If you felt sore, it was normal. It is good to know that 3 Sports are better playing then just one!
Ari T. says
This is very interesting to learn about as it’s a topic that is rarely discussed in my experience. I’ve also noticed kids today have a lot of pressure to be involved in a sport from an early age and parents allowing them to stay busy with that sport throughout the year because it will keep them active, make friends and stay focused (just a few of the reasons of many, I’m sure). Just going by the tips, I think it’s pertinent for parents to recognize when and how overuse injuries can occur. Maybe working with coaches and health professionals can help create the right balance for participating in sports.
Beeb says
This is SUCH an important topic. It seems like today’s generation have a lot of pressure to be in every sport, activity, etc., and I would definitely be concerned and aware of their health and well-being. As someone who suffered an injury at the gym that destroyed my life for a few years, I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through an avoidable, debilitating injury.
Pam says
This is an important topic and I totally agree, let kids be kids. Sports can be really fun when one is not pushed all the time.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
My daughter had it start to happen with her wrist when she was in competitive cheer. I think it was because she was supporting the weight of other cheerleaders when they would do mounts, etc. I was SO happy when she stopped competing so she could take up dance! Her wrist problems went away. 🙂
daisy says
Thanks for sharing. I sometimes worry about my son and appreciate this advice.
Danielle @ We Have It All says
Oh I’m so glad you shared this, I wanted to go but couldn’t make it. Thanks for all of the info!
Andrea says
My boys don’t do any sports yet but I will remember this for when they start getting involved in sports. Thanks for sharing!
Melanie a/k/a CrazyMom says
Great post and very interesting; both my boys are heavy into soccer and I always have to remind them not to play if they have an injure… and totally agree with you let the kids be safe and have fun.. why push them, for what?? Thanks for sharing this important post will share with friends, too
Kristyn says
this is a great and very informative post! A lot of people do not realize how easily they can be injured if they dont take precautions
Brett says
we have made a conscious decision to not have our kids in sports for more than 2 days a week, and we will absolutely have them sit out when they have any injuries. i’ve seen kids be pressured to keep going as first graders. eek. not good!