When is More Too Much? – Part 2
When is More Too Much? – Part 2
By Michael Golisano, DPT, FAFS
As we had mentioned in part one of this article, no one can go 100% in a single sport year round without risking significant injury.
When you hear your kids complaining of pain in their shoulder, knee, ankle, etc… after playing sports do not expect this pain to get better over time, especially when there is no rest period!
These acute injuries can quickly become chronic problems that may lead to decreased playing time, further injury, injury in another area, or even surgery.
That being said professional soccer players are also seeing a significant rise in overuse injury as a result of athletes trying to perform in too many games in a short span of time.
There have been several studies that have focused on fatigue and chronic injury during soccer matches.
One such recent study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine looks at the recovery duration, physical performance, and injury rate in male elite soccer players.
Elite soccer players participate in national cup matches, UEFA (Union of European Football Association) Champions League and/or UEFA Cup matches, and international cup matches.
For these players it is common to play 2 matches per week over several weeks. The study showed that the recovery time between 2 matches, 72 to 96 hours apart, appears to be sufficient to maintain the level of physical performance but is not long enough to maintain a low injury rate.
In fact late September during a Serie A league match; Lazio lost to AC Milan 2-0 primarily because they had to play with 10 men for thirty minutes.
In FIFA regulated soccer matches the coach is only allowed three substitutes per match.
Lazio witnessed four men limp off the field with a variety of pulled or strained thigh muscles after the club played their third game in eight days.
So not only are we seeing increased chronic pain/injury in our young athletes but even the pros who have round the clock elite care are beginning to run into the same type of issues.
When is More Too Much?
When is More Too Much?
By Michael Golisano, DPT, FAFS
What was once a rarity is now turning into a common occurrence. More and more kids are developing chronic overuse injuries during sports.
According to Boston Children’s Hospital the number of kids showing up in doctor’s offices with overuse injuries, such as tendonitis, is climbing dramatically.
Nationally renowned orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, said that he is seeing four times as many overuse injuries in youth sports than five years ago and more kids are having surgery for these chronic injuries.
Experts attribute this increase to the fact that more youth athletes are specializing in one sport at an early age and are training/playing year round with limited rest time.
Most of these injuries can be linked to overuse; doing too much, too often.
It seems as though young athletes are no longer “three letter varsity athletes” which gives the athlete a form of cross-training that is extremely beneficial to a young body’s physical development.
Playing multiple sports at different times of the year gives some muscles a chance to rest while others are being worked.
With specialized sports those same muscles and joints participate non-stop with little to no rest time. This repetitive stress can cause young developing bodies to break down.
Young athletes need to vary their training just like professional athletes do. During the offseason they change their training routine allowing for muscles and joints to rest while working on increasing strength and core stability.
No one can go 100% in a single sport year round without risking significant injury.
When you hear your kids complaining of pain in their shoulder, knee, ankle, etc… after playing sports do not expect this pain to get better over time, especially when there is no rest period!
These acute injuries can quickly become chronic problems that may lead to decreased playing time, further injury, injury in another area, or even surgery.
To Be Continued…
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