Source: Washington University in St. Louis

Released: Wed 23-Jul-2008, 13:00 ET  Printer-friendly Version

Young Athletes Need Downtime for Their Bodies and Psyches

Newswise — The warning bell has sounded about the dramatic rise in childhood obesity and inactivity thanks to junk food, super-sizing, television, dwindling physical education classes and video games.
But not every child is sitting around playing an Xbox. Some are at the other end of the spectrum, playing multiple competitive sports year-round. That imbalance leaves them open to injury, says Mark Halstead, M.D., an instructor of orthopaedic surgery and of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a pediatric sports medicine specialist at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

“The most common overuse injuries we see are tendinitis, stress fractures and irritation of the growth plates,” says Halstead. “Any sport that a child participates in year-round, with no extended periods of time off, can lead to overuse injuries.”
Types of sports injuries will also change as children get older and their bodies grow.

For younger kids, bones are the weak link. As they get older, the muscles and ligaments tend to be injured.

Participation in any sport can lead to an overuse injury, but if a child plays two sports at the same time that use similar movements, it magnifies the overuse effect and creates more potential for injury, Halstead says. For physical and emotional development reasons, kids need time off from sports.

“It's important to find the balance between inactivity and overactivity,” Halstead says. “If your child participates in sports year-round, he or she should have a dedicated full month off from any sports to rest and just be a kid.”

Here are a few tips that will help keep your young athletes healthy:
• Don't make kids play through pain or make them feel that they can't tell you about their pain. Listen to them. They're not million-dollar athletes paid to play. Some significant injuries can have long-lasting effects.
• Young baseball pitchers shouldn't throw any breaking balls, such as curveballs or sliders, until they're ready to shave; these pitches are stressful on the shoulder and elbow.
• There's no big advantage to playing year-round sports or specializing in one sport until adolescence. Let kids experiment with different sports so the same joints aren't continually stressed.
• Make sure very active kids get enough calcium, iron and calories in their diet. Many young athletes underestimate their nutrition needs.
• See a doctor for any pain that lasts longer than two weeks.

Washington University School of Medicine's 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked third in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.