At 13, Freddy Adu signed his first contract with Nike. A year later, this player became the highest paid player in the Pro Soccer League (something like the third U.S. division). As youth sports have become increasingly professionalized and subjected to competitive levels comparable to adults, sports injuries are increasing among children. This was evident at the annual meeting of U.S. orthopedic surgeons.
“The pediatric athletes are not small adults. They are still growing and developing, putting them at risk of serious injury,” said Mininder S. Kocher, spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and director of sports medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston (USA).
During the meeting of the AAOS, held recently in San Diego, experts warned that up to four year olds are suffering overuse injuries such as fractures and tendinitis. Serious injuries in young athletes are occurring more often and at an earlier age. 40% of all emergency room visits in children aged five to 14 years are due to sports injuries.
Too demanding
“It is increasingly clear that there is much pressure for teenagers and even preteens become more and more sport,” Thomas said during the conference Clanton, doctor of the Houston Rockets of the NBA. “I never have a chance to rest,” said the specialist, who is also professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas-Houston.
The high-impact sports that require jumping and running (such as football, basketball and gymnastics) are the major culprits. Increased competition over the season wears infant bones, they say.
Overuse injuries are becoming more common in part because young bones do not have a chance to recover with this tight schedule while also increasing pressure from parents and coaches. “The pressure from families, schools and coaches are a major component in these injuries,” said Mark Myerson, medical director of the Institute of Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
There are big differences between the reasons why parents want their children to practice sport and why they do it small. Young athletes say their main reason is entertainment, and being with friends.
70% of young athletes leave the sport at age 14. Kocher encourages parents to “understand the objectives of your child when you sport. They can be very different than his own.” It is important to combine both of your expectations.
Some injuries
According to Kocher, it is not uncommon to see injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament in kids of nine or 10 years. This type of injury can be a real challenge for the orthopedic surgeon. A child may need to undergo surgery, but surgery can “cause damage to growth plates, areas of developing tissue at the ends of long bones.
In the past, Kocher rarely saw patients at the beginning of secondary education, and had suffered shoulder injuries serious enough to require surgery. Now, many teens have already been subjected to such intervention. Among younger patients, is the ‘pitcher’s elbow “, an injury to the medial epicondyle of the elbow that occurs in young men who play baseball.
Some 60% of baseball players 11-18 years has had an injury due to repetitive motion and stress on the elbow and shoulder. These lesions are also found in gymnasts.
Kocher encourages adults to seek medical care when children and adolescents experience pain. “Pain is an important signal that there could be a problem. It should not be ignored.”
This specialist also warns that it is better for children to diversify their sports. “I think they are being forced to focus on a single sport at an increasingly early age while the intensity of competition has grown. This can actually lead to an overuse injury.” Proper training and equipment, along with an understanding of the biomechanics of young people is key to stemming the tide of serious injuries and surgeries.
