Abstract: |
BACKGROUND: There is little data evaluating the risk for serious overuse injury in young athletes focusing on a single-sport or during growth spurts, in a clinical-based population. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether sports specialization, weekly training volumes, and growth rates are associated with increased risk for injury and serious overuse injury in young athletes. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Injured young athletes ages (7-18yr) were recruited from sports medicine clinics and compared to healthy controls from primary care clinics presenting for sports physicals in 2 medical centers. PARTICIPANTS: There were 1206 participants (50.7% male) who were evaluated at baseline while longitudinal follow up data collection for up to 3 years is ongoing at time of submission. RISK FACTOR ASSESSMENT: Independent variables included hours/week of organized sports, free play, gym, sports specialization, and growth rate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Dependent variables included total injuries, acute injuries, overuse injuries, and serious overuse injuries. RESULTS: Injured athletes were older than uninjured athletes (14.1 +/-2.1 vs. 12.9 y/o +/-2.6, P2 times organized sports:free play were more likely to have a serious overuse injury (P=.001). Annual calculated growth rates did not impact injury status (4.76 vs 4.79 cm/yr,injured vs. uninjured respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Injured young athletes are older, spend more time in organized sports, and specialize. Our data support the need for counseling young specialized athletes as to the risks for overuse injury. |