Do children play sports? Doctor warns that overuse injuries are increasing in younger children

SAN ANTHONIO – Eighteen-year-old Emily Rodriguez is an uneven force on the high school basketball court.

“I love it, the adrenaline,” she said. “I’ll throw myself on the ground to get the ball if I have to.”

But playing school team sports and competitive summer leagues for years has caused injuries.

In addition to a sprained ankle, she suffered fractures to her hands, feet and back.

Rodriguez is among a growing number of children and teens suffering so-called overuse injuries, particularly stress fractures.

What is most alarming is that patients are getting younger and younger.

“Last year, my youngest stress injury happened at eight years old, so that’s a record for me,” said Dr. Hector Lopez of Sports Medicine Associates San Antonio.

While athletics can benefit young people in many ways, Lopez says the culture is one of increased competitiveness and early specialization. The children are trying very hard, practically all year round.

“Children are not just little adults, right? They (are) rapidly increasing in size and height. And these growth plates need time to complete the process of becoming permanent bone,” Lopez said.

Playing the same sport with repetitive movements, such as throwing, running and bending, can cause stress fractures over time.

“The analogy I will give parents is a paperclip; (a) strong piece of metal,” Lopez said. “But you bend it back and forth enough and eventually it breaks.”

Although some injuries heal, others can have consequences such as impaired growth or chronic pain later in life.

Lopez encourages young athletes and parents not to ignore the pain. He prescribes rest so that injured muscles, bones, tendons and growth plates have time to regenerate and heal.

“I would say it’s very important to incorporate rest and recovery as part of your training regimen,” he said. “You can overtrain and that will also lead to underperformance. So you have to find the right balance. As they say, everything in moderation.”

He says proper nutrition, sleep and stretching are also vital. Playing a variety of sports can help prevent repetitive motion and overuse injuries.

As for Rodriguez, she is about to graduate from the Young Women’s Leadership Academy. She’s finished intense training for competitive basketball, but isn’t giving up on sports.

“In terms of the future, I think I want to go into sports medicine,” she said.