Sports Overuse Injury News
A recent study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine July 2015 issue detailed the incidence of overuse injuries in the US among college and high school athletes. The researchers from University of North Carolina revealed a number of interesting facts. Approximately 70% of injuries were in the lower extremities among all age groups. Knee pain and tendinosis was the most common injury. Shoulder and elbow injuries were most common in baseball and softball. Football had the largest number of overuse injuries followed by baseball and softball. Most athletes were able to return to their sport in the same season though 20% of college athletes took longer than 21 days to return. Stress fractures were the most likely reason that athletes were out of competition for more than 21 days. The rate of overuse injuries in college sports was more than 3x higher than in high school. Lastly, overuse injury among sex-comparable sports was higher in females athletes by about 25%.
What does all this mean and what can we do about it? There is certainly an increased intensity of training at the college level and that probably accounts for the higher incidence of overuse problems. Certainly that seems to be true among incoming freshman that I have seen over the years as they experience a higher level of competition and training. Better preparation before they arrive on campus might help. Now that this information is established it will provide a benchmark for future research into prevention. Improvements in training techniques, coaching , biomechanics of athletic activity and nutrition may all play a role in the future. Much has been speculated about the role of increasing specialization of athletes into one sport sometimes year round at young ages. Certainly in some sports that has proved to be necessary to reach elite levels. For most children and teens, a variety of sports and some periods of relative rest makes the most sense. If one sport is the primary focus of a young athlete, variety in the training methods is important to prevent overuse injuries. As always it’s prudent to listen to your body. “No pain no gain” leads to many problems. Discomfort from a hard workout that resolves in 24-48 hours can result from normal training but if pain lingers during activities and does not resolve, prompt evaluation and treatment can prevent more serious problems and time loss injuries.
