Sports are important for the physical and mental growth of a child as such activities promote building strength, coordination, and confidence, while also promoting teamwork. But beneath the rise of structured training lies a hidden danger. For some kids today, they are training like professional athletes, coming home and practising the same sport, same drills for hours on end every day, with little rest time and/or variation. While this might seem necessary for progress, it can actually cause chronic injuries that affect growth and future fitness.
Children are not miniature adults — their bones, muscles, and joints are still developing. That puts them at greater risk for unique injuries that never seem to happen to adults, says Dr Raju Easwaran – Associate Director, Arthroscopy & Sports Injury, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh.
He says that excessive training can lead to growth disturbances, distortions and long-term complications of the bones. The repetitive nature can also lead to chronic pain in joints, ligaments and tendons, which, in turn, can lead to reduced performance and, potentially, burnout.
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Kids Are Not Little Adults
Younger kids have skeletons that are far less permanent than that of adults. The growth in the lower limb occurs predominantly around the knee whereas the upper limb grows mainly around the elbow. The knee and elbow joints are two of the most overused in outdoor sports and overexertion in these areas of growth can result in slowed growth and asymmetrical growth. This can result in deformities in the lower body such as knock knees or bowlegs and in the upper limp known as “Little Leaguer’s Elbow.”
Why Surgery Is Not Always Possible
The treatment of ligaments, especially in children, is more difficult. In adults this often means drilling right through the bones, but in children this could harm active growth plates and result in pause of growth. So, if an injury occurs, there is not much that would be possible in treating it, which is why prevention of injury and recovery is the only option.
Overtraining Injuries in Young Athletes
Allowing too little recuperation time between sessions can cause numerous injuries, including stress fractures in the leg bones and lumbar spine. There could also be chronic strains such as hamstring pulls in sprinters or adductor strains in footballers.
Warning Signs of Overtraining
Signs to look for are constant pain (even at rest), drop in performance level despite regular training, mood changes, irritability, burnout and poor sleep. These are clear signals that the body is asking for some rest.
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Prevention
Encourages kids to play multiple sports to develop different movement patterns and prevents repetitive stress injuries. Professional ambitions require professional support in the form of trained coaches who can manage training loads, manage recovery and make necessary adjustments to prevent injuries — and maybe to continue running for life.
Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.
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