The pressure on high school athletes today is intense. Many of these teenagers face increased competition to earn a spot on the team and try to live up to the expectations of their parents and coaches.
This demand is so grueling that some organizations have started to restrict activity. For example, this past season the California Interscholastic Federation adopted new bylaws that limit practice and contact time for high school athletes to 18 hours per week. That is still equivalent to three hours a day, six days a week — a great deal of time to spend doing any one activity. This level of practice and competition time can be found in high schools throughout the nation and takes a heavy toll on some athletes.
Overuse Injuries in Teenagers are on the Rise
We used to think of overuse injuries — stress fractures, shin splints, tendonitis or persistent joint and muscle pain — as problems of older, highly skilled athletes. Imagine the number of times a professional baseball player throws a ball each year, or a professional soccer player runs up and down a field each day.
While we still see many overuse injuries in professional athletes, I’m starting to see more and more teenagers with similar injuries in my practice at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and I’m not alone. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, overuse injuries in children are on the rise, and a recent study I led shows that girls specifically are at a much higher risk.
Gender Inequality
To better understand the prevalence and nature of overuse injuries, my colleagues and I analyzed national data between 2006 to 2012, charting nearly 3,000 cases of overuse injuries in 20 high school sports. We calculated the rate of overuse injuries, the pattern of those injuries and compared them by gender and sport. What we found was surprising.
The Top High School Sports for Overuse Injuries
Our study found that the top three sports for overuse injuries were girls’ sports. Girls’ track and field had the most overuse injuries, followed by girls’ field hockey and girls’ lacrosse. Boys were most likely to suffer overuse injuries in high school swimming and diving, the fourth-ranked sport on our list.
The area of the body most affected by overuse injuries varied by sport, but the most common sites included the lower leg (21.8 percent), the knee (15.9 percent) and the shoulder (11.5 percent).
Females sustained more overuse injuries earlier in their high school careers, while boys suffered more during their later years.
The Search for Solutions
There are many theories as to why teenagers are becoming more susceptible to overuse injuries. During the high school years these athletes go through puberty, a crucial time for both sexes in terms of bone development, muscle strength and joint laxity. Taxing the body during this time, particularly with repetitive motions, could make them more vulnerable to injury. In girls, we’re also looking into the role menstruation and nutrition play in both physical development and injury risk. Regardless of the cause of these injuries, we know there are things we can do to help prevent them.
Building Strength Through Diversity
Coaches, athletic trainers and parents need to stress the benefits of rest, recovery and proper nutrition to young athletes. Teenagers could also benefit from playing several sports instead of specializing in just one. By switching sports every few months, young athletes use and develop different muscle groups, which can not only help develop core strength, but can lessen the risk of overuse injuries from repetitive motion.
The more we learn about overuse injuries, the more imperative it is to teach young athletes how to avoid them. Trying to do too much, too often, can be counterproductive and may ultimately cause injuries that keep our teenagers away from the sports they love.
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High School Girls at Higher Risk for Overuse Injuries Than Boys originally appeared on usnews.com
