The Overuse Epidemic in Kids Sports-Play Safe

Seeing school buses and hearing my local high school band practicing reminded me that school is back in session and along with it fall youth athletic programs. According to John Smoltz, former Braves pitcher, “Sports is about a lot of things, and it teaches you a lot about life. We want to bring back the fun and capability of children to play for a lot longer than they are.”

What Smoltz is referring to is the increase in sports injuries in middle and high school students. Annually 3.5 million children under the age of 14 suffer a sports injury. High school students incur 2 million injuries annually. Youth shoulder and elbow injuries are creeping toward epidemic proportions and ACL injuries remain one of the most common injuries. According to the STOP (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention) overuse is to blame for 50% of middle and high school injuries.

The STOP Sports Injuries campaign was initiated by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) as a result of the growing problem of overuse injuries among young athletes.

While we want our children to succeed both academically and physically, we also want them to avoid injury so they can stay physically engaged throughout their lives. However sports are competitive and coaches may not always distinguish between a child who needs a little push and a child that is already pushing too hard.

One mother brought her son to me for massage because he was complaining of sore muscles. Every part of his body hurt and his muscles were riddled with trigger points. No child should be that sore. The young man, who was a freshman in high school and playing football confided to me that at 5 feet and 140 pounds, his coach was pushing him to gain another 40 pounds to play defense!

Since then I have worked with more than a few children who were living in constant pain from extreme training and overuse injuries. Over training can interfere with growth plate sealing and “diseases” like Osgood-Schlatter Disease, which is the most common cause of knee pain in children, and is simply an overuse injury.

My goal here is not to give you one more thing to worry about, but to provide a little insight so that if a kid you know complains about being in pain all the time you have resources. As they say, “Let’s be safe out there.”

Check out http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org for Tip Sheets, Conversation Starters and Injury Prevention Tips for parents, kids and coaches including tips for specific sports.

I hope the kids you know enjoy their upcoming season, play hard and win often!

Diary of a Severe Sprain or, did you know…?

Diary of a Severe Sprain or, did you know…?

Did you know that soft tissue injuries, tendons and ligaments, take 6-9 months to heal?

The Injury:

On July 4th I stepped in a pothole and badly sprained my ankle, tearing outer and inner ligaments and tendons. (Lateral ankle sprains account for 90% of all ankle sprain injuries and interestingly, lower leg injuries account for 90% of the rescues in Yosemite National Park!) Luckily it was a holiday and I was able follow the recommended procedure to RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevlation for the first 24 hours. I was on crutches for the better part of a week, icing 3-4 times a day for 45 minutes. Why so long you ask? Though 20 minute icing is often recommended, I could feel that the cold did not begin to enter the deeper parts of the joint until after 20 min. The swelling was intense, and also quite colorful!

Six weeks later there is still some swelling and I am still icing once or twice a day, long after most people would have quit. Why still icing? The deep ligaments of the ankle are not well vascularized, which is why joints take so long to heal. Increasing deep circulation is essential!

 The Compensation:

Often underestimated is the compensation that happens throughout the body from even an insignificant injury. It amazed me is how much both feet hurt, even though I’d sprained the ankle. The left foot hurt because it had to bear most of my weight. My right hip was tight from shifting weight from the injured foot and I  developed a weakness in my right knee. My balance on the right side was bad! Even my hands and shoulders hurt from the crutches and my groin has gotten tight because I wasn't able to sit cross-legged for a month!

The Rehab:

Every day after the first week I did gentle foot movements. Sprain patients are often advised to spell the alphabet with their toes to maintain mobility. The thing that helped the most were the Yamuna Foot Savers and Gyrotonic. Yay Foot Fitness! They did wonders to release the tension in both feet and the hip, and helped my ankle take quantum leaps forward. Last week I took the dogs on their first careful hike to Runyon Canyon and today we were able to go to the Santa Monicas, staying on the relatively smooth fire roads. Amazing how much walking off street helped my ankle. Get off the sidewalk!

Back in the Saddle:

I still have a little pain on twisting; there is still some swelling and weakness. I’m almost 6 weeks in and there is a lot of strength, flexibility and balance training ahead of me. All this from one mis-step in my own ‘hood. I’m grateful that I was able to work with the injury (and thankful for the holiday that first day!). It was a bummer to be sidelined from backpacking and kayaking for the summer, but the Sierra’s await me the last week in August. I can’t wait!

Remember, 6-9 months for full recovery from a soft tissue injury and you want to do the work to prevent re-injury or problems in peripheral joints further down the road.

If you or anyone you know has the misfortune of experiencing a severe sprain please call me for free advice on healing protocol or for help in rehabbing and speeding recovery of your injury. This goes for auto accidents as well! I can be reached at 818-469-0445 or through the website at www.InspiringMotion.com