The demands of adolescent sports are high, with sports often not limited to a single season. Many teenagers are training and competing in more than one sport or team at a time, or training heavily in one sport, leaving little time for recovery between sessions. We see athletes like this all the time in our Greystones, Sandyford and Knocklyon physiotherapy clinics

Some of the injuries most commonly suffered are “overuse” injuries. Repetitive loading during sports can cause microtrauma to anatomic structures. With enough recovery time between sessions, the tissues remodel and adapt to the stress of training. When the demands of training exceed the ability of these structures to adapt, overuse injuries occur.

Common overuse injuries include Lumbar stress fractures, Apophysitis, Osteochondritis dissecans, Osgood Schlatter’s disease and Sever’s disease, along with others caused by the imbalance between training load and recovery time.

Teenagers are susceptible to injuries for a variety of reasons. During growth spurts teenagers are particularly at risk. Limbs change in length and mass which places increased stress on muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments and growth cartilage. Strength developments needed to deal with these changes may not happen quickly enough during a rapid growth spurt, leaving an imbalance in growth and strength.

When we add a training and recovery imbalance into this equation, we create an environment with high risk for overuse injury.

The real problem arises when these injuries are allowed to progress and worsen as the athlete perseveres and struggles through training. We must implement a load management strategy early in the injury progression to prevent long term damage and to avoid need for surgical intervention.

A difficult aspect of these injuries can be knowing when to seek professional advice. Athletes often avoiding seeking help for fear of being told to stop their sport altogether. However, if these injuries are addressed early, often a complete rest can be avoided. A period of modified activity will be required to alleviate tissue load and allow healing to commence.

We help athletes from all our local sporting organisations with modification programmes in our physiotherapy clinics.

It is vital to also address the underlying factors which predisposed the teen to the injury. A physiotherapist can guide you through a load management protocol followed by a rehabilitation programme, involving the necessary strengthening and biomechanical retraining necessary to prevent recurrence of your injury.

Our physiotherapists can assist you in developing a plan specific to you and your sport. Following the initial period of modified activity, we will work with you while we gradually guide your return to full participation, carefully monitoring how your body responds. No matter where you are in South Dublin or Wicklow, we have a physio clinic near you!!

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