By Carolinas HealthCare System
As we focus our energies on a new year of racing, our children, too, are focusing on a new year of athletics. Any coach can tell you focus is a key element to success in sports. But, for young athletes, focusing exclusively on one sport can have dangerous consequences.
Young athletes who specialize in one sport are more likely to have a serious injury, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. “I’ve seen an increased number of injuries from sports specialization,” says Brent Messick, MD, a family medicine and sports medicine specialist at Carolinas HealthCare System’s Sports Medicine & Injury Care. “Particularly in baseball and gymnastics, since [those sports] run year-round.”
Messick doesn’t recommend young athletes specialize in a particular sport, because open growth plates in young athletes do not handle stress as well as an adult’s mature bones. Messick says, in his experience, these athletes sustain more serious injuries because they tend to develop overuse issues from performing repetitive motions specific to one sport, e.g., throwing a baseball, swinging a racket or swinging a golf club. Often, he adds, there’s also a heightened level of competition, when children may be pushed past their physical limits by pressure from coaches, parents, teammates or themselves.
The number of “Tommy John” surgeries, repairing elbow injuries, performed on young baseball players is increasing every year. “Patients are also getting younger and younger,” Messick says. “These children tend to have shorter careers than their counterparts who haven’t had surgery.”
For young athletes participating in sports involving the shoulder and rotator cuff (such as softball and baseball), Messick advises playing the sport no more than eight months per year.
To avoid overuse injuries, Messick strongly recommends young athletes get an annual pre-participation physical from their physicians and discuss any previous injuries. Messick also recommends young athletes participate in more free play or cross-training on a daily basis than specialized sports, to help develop stabilizer muscles and reduce the risk of overuse injuries.
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Don’t Take Pain in Stride
If you or your child has an overuse injury, or any other sports medicine issue, trust the experts at Carolinas Healthcare System. Our providers will work with you to determine the cause of the pain and develop the right treatment. Call 704-355-7500 or 800-821-1535 to make an appointment.
