Taking Care of the Young Athlete

​With the school year starting back up, children and teens can start spending a lot of their spare time in sports practice. While they may demonstrate promising talent, young athletes are actually more at risk of injuries. There are various reasons why they are more susceptible to injury such as their bones may not be fully solidified, or that their body hasn’t had the chance to adapt to a recent growth spurt. On top of that, reflexes and coordination aren’t fully developed yet. 
Simply put, young athletes are often put in a position in which they are prone to various injuries, as well as burnout. With the school year starting again, here are a few things to consider to keep your young athlete in top shape.

1. Make sure to have break days where no physical training is planned. Even though it may seem like they recover quickly, their bodies need some days off to fully recover between games, tournaments, and practices.
2. Variety is important: by practicing the same sport constantly, young athletes are at high risk of overuse injuries. Practicing different sports rather than focusing on only one sport will promote the well-rounded development of the athlete’s strengths and skills. This also allows more recovery time from sport-specific training sessions throughout the week.
3. Try to give 2-3 months of break from sports throughout the year. Participating in intense sports year-long really takes a toll on the body, which will need dedicated recovery time. But it’s also important to consider the athlete’s emotional state; kids and teens need to have fun, and being constantly stressed for training and competitions can easily lead to burnouts. ​

Reference:
Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes. Joel S. Brenner. Pediatrics Jun 2007, 119 (6) 1242-1245; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2007-0887

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