All Dads dream that their child might one day compete in the olympics, but too much sports can take a physical toll
Of course, there is nothing wrong with getting excited about preparing for a mini athlete, but a lot of parents don’t think about the physical injuries their children will go through while succeeding in their sport. The most common problems that children have while participating in their favourite sport are having injuries in their muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The biggest problem is that they injure these same spots over and over again, which can lead to permeant injury.
“When the growth plates are still open, they are the weak part of the system,” says Dennis Cardone, D.O., chief of primary care sports medicine at NYU Langone Health. “Kids don’t necessarily get the sprains and strains, but they do get pain and inflammation where the growth plates are, like the front of the knee or heel.”
Some doctors suggest to not have the child focus on one sport too early on. Concentrating on one activity too early will lead to some of the injuries listed above. The child will not be able to use multiple muscle groups in other ways. “During the early stages as kids are still growing, we want to make sure they are developing their motor skills in many different ways,” says Michelle Cappello, a physical therapist and clinical director at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes.
Doctors suggest to wait until after puberty for the child to pick one sport to specialise in. The alternative is to have your child take three months away from each sport each year.
Another good tip is, as the parent, to make sure that your child has plenty of rest and has enough time to recover after each practice or game. Bodies need time to adapt to the demands of hard training. Make sure that children are hydrated, eating nutritious meals and a snack in between games.
Also, teach them proper warm ups. A common problem for young athletes is ACL injuries (tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee). This will cause a child to miss playing in games for up to nine months, and increase the risks of having arthritis in the future. To prevent this, ensure your child is taking 10-15 minutes to warm up before practices.
“Good prevention programs that take a short amount of time each day can cut down on these injuries and they are easily accessible online,” says Dr. Cardone; chief medical officer of New York City Public Schools Athletic League.
