Orthopedic Injuries in Youth Sports

General Concerns and Considerations

Today's youth faces a practicing schedule once reserved for college all-stars, which makes their training program and nutrition particularly important. As young bones grow and muscles strengthen, the body of a young athlete remains in perpetual change. Understanding how orthopedic health can properly nurture these bodies through and attain the proper form for the sport is key in avoiding many of the common overstress conditions often seen in athletes.

Properly addressing orthopedic injuries of a young athlete is very important, as developing bones and muscles will readjust to the malalignment of an improperly set fracture. A readjustment to this type of malalignment can establish early on an unstable joint environment - leading to a host of conditions through adulthood and the early onset of osteoarthritis. Early orthopedic care in the case of a young athlete's injury is important in the preservation of natural range of motion and overall joint function.

There are some simple steps young athletes can take to help reduce risk of injury, including proper pre activity stretching and muscle warm up, proper hydration essential for muscles and optimal body function, resting and properly addressing painful or inflamed areas.

Some of the most common injuries and conditions treated in a young athlete include: acute injuries such as stress fractures and dislocations and ligament and cartilage tears primarily in the shoulder and knee; overuse injuries and conditions such as tendon and cartilage inflammation (particularly important to address in children as it can affect bone growth); and reinjury, which too often occurs when an athlete returns too soon to their sport following an injury that has not sufficiently healed - generally resulting in more serious damage to the limb.

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