9 Tips to Cut Injury in Young Athletes

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'To Stay in the Game, Teen Athletes Need Time Off'

Reviewed by Ashley Soldera

Young athletes may need a little adult guidance to thrive on and off the playing field, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP's Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness notes that kids and teens are increasingly involved in sports, and some young athletes are overdoing it.

Training intensely can lead to injury and burnout. So to keep young athletes in the game, the AAP offers four practical tips for young athletes and their parents, doctors, and coaches.

The tips, published in the June edition of the Pediatrics Journal, are as follows:

1. Keep workouts interesting, with age-appropriate games and training, to keep practice fun.
2. Take time off from organized or structured sports participation one to two days per week to allow the body to rest or participate in other activities.
3. Allow longer scheduled breaks from training and competition every two to three months while focusing on other activities and cross-training to prevent loss of skill or conditioning.
4. Focus on wellness and teaching athletes to be in tune with their bodies for cues to slow down or alter their training methods.
5. Encourage the athlete to play on only one team during a season.
6. Don't increase weekly training time, repetitions of exercises, or distance by more than 10% each week.
7. Encourage the athlete to take at least two to three months away from a specific sport during the year.
8. Athletes, players, and coaches should learn about appropriate nutrition and fluids, sport safety, and avoiding overtraining.
9. If the athlete complains of nonspecific muscle or joint problems, fatigue, or poor academic performance, be alert for possible burnout, which may include physical symptoms like fatigue and lack of enthusiasm about practice or competition.

If an athlete pushes himself or herself too far, he or she may end up on the sidelines with an injury that lasts for weeks or months.

The council also offers advice on marathons and triathlons, athletes who play the same sport on more that one team, and athletes who play several different sports. Endurance events such as marathons and triathlons may be fine for young athletes, as long as the events are modified to be age appropriate, and the athlete is healthy and enjoys the activity. Young athletes may be at increased risk of injury or burnout if they play the same sport on multiple teams or if they don't take a break from athletics during the year, the council warns.

Athletes who play several sports may be less likely to injure themselves if their sports emphasize different parts of the body. For instance, a golfer who is on the track team challenges different muscles in those two sports. But a swimmer who plays baseball emphasizes the arms and upper body in both sports.

Source: WebMD Content Archives based on Dr. Miranda Hitti's Research June 5, 2007.