Young athletes enjoy sports more today, than
they ever have in the past. Young athletes have special
needs because their bodies are still growing. They
require different coaching, training, and conditioning than
mature adult athletes. It's very important to be careful
of young athletes medical issues, so that they can mature
properly and be prepared for pressures and physical injuries
that can come with increased sports activity.
Young athletes have differences
in strength, stamina, and coordination. When people are
young uneven growth patterns are often found in bone-tendon-muscle
units of people, so injury is more apt to occur. Younger
athletes are less likely to suffer severe injuries because
they are slower and smaller, but they are also more fragile
so appropriate care must be taken.
Coaches
At the young ages, coaches
have an important role in helping children compete safely. They
must pay very close attention for limps or staggers, to find
physical injuries early. The more severe injuries are
easier because kids can't continue to play and express great
pain. The low-grade injuries are the trouble ones because
often young athletes will ignore them, which can cause real
problems later in life.
Most injuries in young athletes
are caused from overuse and repetitive stress, particularly
elbow and knee injuries. The overuse on these immature
muscle-bone units can cause fractures, muscle tears, and bone
deformities. It's very important that coaches have the
appropriate amount of training for these young athletes in
order to keep them physically fit.
The correct amount of muscle
strength, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and endurance
are essential. Also very important is the psychological
atmosphere that these young athletes so badly need. They
need positive self-image, self-reliance, trust, cooperation,
and confidence. Coaches must teach young athletes how
to deal with successful and defeat in order to keep things
in perspective and foster growth.
Injury Types
N.B. coaches must watch
out for age/size mismatches where a 140 pound 12 year old hits
an 80 pound 12 year old in contact sports. Coaches must
also provide a safe environment for the athletes by evaluating
and monitoring the playing fields.
Luckily, most sports injuries
in young people aren't severe. Most are soft tissue injuries,
involving bruises, muscle pulls, sprains, strains, and abrasions. These
injuries aren't very serious most of the time and allow for
children to continue to compete will little lost time.
Sprains
Nearly one-third of all sports
injuries are classified as sprains. A sprain is a complete
or partial tear of a ligament, which is tissue that connects
the ends of bones and stabilizes the joint. Symptoms
include the following: the joint feeling loose, loss of motion,
swelling, and pain.
Strain
A strain is a complete or
partial tear of the muscle or tendon. Muscle tissue is
made of cells that contract and make the body move; a tendon
is connective tissue that attaches muscles to bones.
Contusions
This is the most common sports
injury, and what it really is a bruise. They result from
blunt blows and cause underlying bleeding in a soft tissue
or muscle.
The treatment for soft tissue
injuries usually includes rest, applying ice, an elastic bandage
wrap, and elevation. The above will decrease pain and
swelling and allow for healing to take place more quickly.
Spinal Cord
Although spinal cord injuries
are rare in sports, they can range from sprains in the arms
or legs to death, so they must be recognized. Exercises
to strengthen the neck can help to avoid any neck and spinal
cord injuries.
Skeletal Injuries
These usually occur from severe
collision from athlete to athlete, and often don't occur in
young athletes because they aren't quite big or strong enough. They
usually occur in the form of fractures, but sometimes dislocations
can be seen as well. What can be seen more in young athletes
is overuse injuries, for example a very common one is that
of "little league elbow," which is from a pitcher
throwing too much. This can cause injury to the cartilage
surfaces of the young athletes.
Treatment
Treatment for all injuries
is very important and must be made by appropriate person, in
most cases an orthopedic surgeon. The athletes will be
seen and assessed by the doctor. The appropriate treatment
will then be administered to help the young athlete get back
to normal.
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