Top Overuse Injuries in Kids

Repetition and Injury

• Overuse injuries result from too much of the same kind of activity. For example, repeated pitching in baseball can result in overuse injuries of the elbow, while shoulder injuries are more likely in swimming. Children and adolescents are still growing, which increases their risk of injury compared to adults, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Although almost any sport can result in an overuse injury, the AAOS notes that the most common injuries of this type are to the knee and foot.

Leg Injuries

• An overuse injury can occur in a muscle, tendon, ligament, bone or growth plates. Growth plates are the areas on the ends of the bone that are weaker than the surrounding structures, such as tendons and ligaments. A growth plate injury can permanently affect bone growth. Some of the more common overuse injuries of the leg in children are Sever̵7;s disease, or osteochondrosis, which causes heel pain; Osgood-Schlatter disease, which is a growth plate injury at the upper end of the shin that causes knee pain; and jumper̵7;s knee, an injury to the patellar tendon in the knee.

Upper Extremities

• Overuse injuries can also occur in the upper extremities. Overhand throwing can cause inflammation in the elbow and is common in children who pitch in baseball games. Medial apophysitis, or Little Leaguer̵7;s elbow, causes pain in the bony bump on the inside of the elbow. Gymnastics can cause overuse injuries in the wrist. Stress fractures in any bone can occur from overuse as well, although they are more common in leg and foot bones, especially early in the season when a child begins to train for a sport after a summer̵7;s rest.

Prevention is Key

• As the name implies, overuse injuries result from too much of a good thing. Children who play only one sport, practice year-round, practice intensively or play on more than one team are more likely to develop overuse injuries, according to the AAOS. The constant activity of training and playing doesn't allow the joints and supporting structures to rest. An April 2010 article in ̶0;U.S. News & World Report̶1; notes that at one time, children were likely to play a wide variety of sports but did not train intensively or play year-round, both of which predispose them to overuse injuries. If your child complains of pain, starts limping, has trouble sleeping or resists practicing, consult a physician about a possible overuse injury.