over-use injuries in youth soccer

Balls, cones and kids

the soccer coaching newsletter

Issue 5 - May 2005

Overuse injuries in youth soccer

Q: What are overuse injuries?

Overuse injuries in youth football usually result from repetitive forces that cause 'micro trauma.' The damaged tissues become inflamed, causing swelling and a loss of function. Continuing to exercise leads to a vicious cycle and the injury becomes chronic.

"The tissues in the body are a lot like a paperclip. If you just keep bending it over and over and over again, eventually that paperclip is going to break."

Dr. Michael Busch, Orthopedic Surgeon, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Common Sports Injuries Affecting Children

Reproduced by kind permission of the Federation of Holistic Therapists

On the whole, sport is good for children. Not only does it tackle the thorny issue of childhood obesity (and related conditions, such as type II diabetes), participating in competitive sport is also said to improve self-esteem, team spirit, self-discipline and motor skills. But although regular exercise is more favourable than sitting in front of a television screen or computer monitor with a packet of salt and vinegar crisps, some children are pushing their small bodies so hard in order to reach their sporting goals, they are causing themselves serious injuries...

With today’s sporting stars starting out so young, it is not surprising that more and more children are being introduced to competitive sport at a very early age. As a result, more children are starting to trickle through to sports clinics and therapists. Although a number of injuries presented will be no different to those we would expect to see in an adult, there will be those that relate specifically to the child’s stage of physical development. So what are the ‘common’ sports injuries to be found in children, how are these caused, and how can their occurrence be reduced or prevented?

a typical overuse injury

Treating soccer injuries - the R.I.C.E method

The first 24 - 48 hours after an injury occurs are critical. You must use the RICE method if further damage and pain are to be avoided.

By Lyle Micheli, M.D.

reproduced by kind permission of the Mass Youth Soccer Association

Kids are starting sports earlier and training harder. Incentives to win are growing, sometimes literally - I've seen trophies almost bigger than the little athletes who've won them! With higher stakes have come pressures to perform better by being fitter and more skilled. Usually, this is achieved through repetition, repetition, repetition - whether it is serving a tennis ball, pitching a baseball, or performing a figure-skating double axel.

Parents need to be sensitive to changes in performance and attitude that suggest their kids are being pushed too hard. Such changes may be precursors of physical injury.

Signs of overtraining
- Slower times in distance sports such as running, cycling, and swimming
- Deterioration in execution of sports plays or routines such as those performed in figure skating and gymnastics
- Decreased ability to achieve training goals
- Lack of motivation to practice
- Getting tired easily
- Irritability and unwillingness to cooperate with teammates.

How To Recognize and Prevent Overuse Injuries in Soccer

by Gary A. Levengood, M.D.

Soccer, one of the most popular team sports in the world with over 200 million registered players worldwide, is a game of nonstop action. Most injuries in soccer occur in the lower body, mostly to the knees and ankles. However, repeated or prolonged use (overuse) injuries are common problems, especially toward the end of a long and gruelling season. These injuries are the result of constant overloading and wearing down of a tendon (tissue connecting muscle to bone), muscle, bone or joint, resulting in the inability of that structure to perform its normal biomechanical duties....

How to prevent overuse injuries

by Steve Watson http://www.footy4kids.co.uk

Overuse injuries in children are increasing in frequency and you are right to be concerned.

I think that the key to avoiding overuse injuries lies in understanding the root causes. Most agree that these are:

Growth spurts
Inadequate warm up
Excessive activity (for example, increased intensity, duration, or frequency of playing and/or training)
Improper technique (for example, overextending on a pitch)
Unsuitable equipment (for example, nonsupportive athletic shoes)

I would suggest that children who are coached by qualified sports coaches who understand the risks, teach correct techniques, use effective warm up activities and are careful to increase the intensity of training in a controlled way will not be at much risk from developing an overuse injury.

In addition, the careful selection of footwear will help prevent all injuries, including overuse injuries, to the foot, ankle and knee.

It is also important to make sure that children are physically fit before taking part in organised sport and that they are stopped from playing altogether if they complain of pain.

I would also recommend that young children do not play competitive sport - youth sports should always be fun and the "win at all costs" attitude of many parents, coaches, professional athletes, and peers can lead to injuries. A young athlete striving to meet the unrealistic expectations of others may ignore the warning signs of injury and continue to play with pain.

The last word...

'Youth sports should always be fun. The "win at all costs" attitude of many parents, coaches, professional athletes, and peers can lead to injuries'