With all the sports season just around the corner, kids will be putting on their jerseys and parents will be cheering them on. We all hope events are fun and nobody gets hurt. Unfortunately, injuries can be expected.

Sports-related injuries are something that are commonly seen in the WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Pediatric Orthopaedics clinic with our young athletes. Though they can be as serious as broken bones, these injuries are often annoying pains that keep a child from having fun and being able to compete. Though we are happy to diagnose and treat these injuries, we really take time to focus on injury prevention to make sure that kids can stay happy and healthy on the field and court.

The pediatric skeleton is very different from the adult skeleton and lends itself to many injuries that can be specific to the young athlete. The open growth plates (physes) on each bone have muscle and tendon attachments that help the skeleton move and function. When these muscles are overworked or overtightened, their normal pulling function can lead to acute pain, chronic pain, or injury. This can be seen as pain in the foot, knee, hip, elbow, and all over the body where muscles insert into bones.

The term “overuse activity injuries” refers to injuries that occur when there is repetitive stress on the same area of the body. While muscles are generally strengthened, they can become less flexible and pull on the child’s weaker growth plate, which can result in pain. Many of the sports that kids engage in require the same motions to be performed repeatedly. Without appropriate rest and flexibility, pain can develop around these areas of constant use.

Many of the common areas of pain are well described and frequently seen in the pediatric orthopaedics clinic. Luckily, the great majority of these overuse injuries do not require surgery and will not impact a child long-term. Nonetheless, careful consideration of the cause must be discussed

**Common overuse injuries **

· Achilles tendinitis · Osgood-Schlatter disease (knee pain) · Jumper’s knee · Sever’s disease · Shin splints · Stress fractures · Throwing injuries in the elbow

Generally, overuse activity injuries are aggravated when playing the sport itself, and pain improves with rest. Kids may push through the pain or change their technique or form. Coaches and parents need to be aware of a child’s complaints and changes throughout a season. A child should never be instructed or allowed to “work through the pain.”

We find that many youth teams emphasize stretching and recovery. Though we want children to be active and perform at their highest level, it is important to be sure they are caring for themselves appropriately with activity modification, stretching, and diet.

There are many modifiable factors to prevent overuse injuries in children. One important practice to highlight is stretching. Starting a stretching routine tailored to an athlete’s specific sport can aid in preventing and alleviating pain associated with play. A stretching program should be done with the same frequency as practices and games.

https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/staying-healthy/flexibility-exercises-for-young-athletes/

The amount of time playing is another factor associated with overuse injuries. We see many young athletes that are very active and play multiple sports, for multiple teams, year-round. Taking time off between seasons and not playing for multiple teams during a season has been shown to prevent these persistent pains and injuries that may occur as a child is growing.

Our goal is to keep kids safe and healthy so that they can keep playing. This starts with preventing injuries before they happen. Whether an injury is acute or due to overuse, a child who has pain that persists or affects their athletic performance should be seen by a doctor. The WVU Medicine Children’s team of pediatric orthopedic is here to help get kids back in the game.