For children who specialize in one sport, the risk of injury is a major concern for sports medicine physicians.
“We know that specializing in a sport, especially early on, increases the risk of injury anywhere from 30 to 50 percent,” said Dr. Nick Verma, director of sports medicine for Midwest Orthopedics at RUSH. Masu.
Verma, who is also the team physician for the Chicago White Sox, said baseball is a prime example.
“We’re starting to see Tommy John procedures that used to be done on college players, usually minor league or professional athletes, but now kids as young as 12 or 13 years old and, in fact, “It’s being done in the majority of children. Tommy John surgery is now being done in patients over 18 years of age versus under 18 years of age,” Verma said.
Overuse injuries are one concern, but there are also mental health risks.
“Psychologically, burnout and perfectionism can be contributing factors,” says Dr. Kathy Weber, director of women’s sports medicine at RUSH’s Midwest Orthopedics Division.
Weber said research is currently focused on the effects of focusing on one sport.
“There’s this idea that if you develop your expertise early on, you’re guaranteed to make it to the big leagues. And the reality is, that’s not shown,” Weber said.
“When you look at an athlete’s development over time, there is absolutely no scientific data or data to suggest that specializing in a sport early on will make you better for the rest of your life in that sport.” Verma said.
With travel and participation in club teams surging, parents need to remember that those teams are part of the business, Verma said.
“We need participation to fund that service,” Verma said.
He also said it was important to remove peer pressure from the decision-making process.
“You see all the kids in the neighborhood playing in different leagues. Kids are under pressure to do it. And they either take it seriously or they just don’t play. I really feel like it has to be one or the other, and I don’t think that’s the right answer for 95% of kids,” Verma said.
“I’ve worked with professional pitchers and they said they didn’t start pitching until they were in college. So specialization after adolescence is more of the direction we should go. “I think so,” Weber said.
After puberty, it varies from child to child, but Weber recommends age 15 to 17.
Both doctors noted that sports should be fun for children and a place where they can learn to be good teammates, lessons that they carry with them throughout their lives.