A new study says young athletes, who focus intensively on a particular sport, have greater for injury, according to USNews.com.
The study specifically said kids who spend more time per day on a sport than their age, for example a 10-year old spending 11 hours a day on a sport, increase their risk for injury by 70 percent.
The study, authored by Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, medical director of primary care sports medicine at Loyola University Medical Center located in Chicago, researched young athletes from ages 8 to 18. The physicals of more than 1,200 athletes were examined. (This spans from 2010 to 2013.)
The research produced findings of more than 850 injuries. Of those injuries more than 550 were overuse injuries.
"We should be cautious about intense specialization in one sport before and during adolescence," Jayanthi said "Among the recommendations we can make, based on our findings, is that young athletes should not spend more hours per week in organized sports than their ages."
Within the 550 injuries there were 150 serious injuries from a ligament or bone being overworked. The injuries included stress fractures, cartilage and underlying bone injuries, and ligament damage.
The study went on to say that a child or teen athlete who spends double the time per week in an organized sport than in recreational play is also more likely to be injured.
More information from the study:
Athletes who were injured – average of 21 hours of physical activity per week 13 of which was in an organized sport.
Athletes who were not injured—average of 18 hours of physical activity per week of which nine was spent in an organized sport.
Jayanthi offered some advice to minimize injuries to young athletes which include:
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For more information click here.
