Why Children's Sports Injuries Are Different
Children's skeletons have growth plates (physes) — cartilaginous areas where bone growth occurs. These are the weakest point in the immature skeleton and are vulnerable to traction and compression injuries that would not occur in adults.
Common Pediatric Sports Injuries
Osgood-Schlatter (tibial apophysitis), Sever's disease (calcaneal apophysitis), growth plate fractures, patellar subluxation, and overuse stress injuries are most common in growing athletes.
The Overtraining Epidemic
Early sports specialization and year-round single-sport training are driving an epidemic of pediatric overuse injuries. The recommended ratio is a maximum of 8 hours/week of organized sport for each year of age (e.g., 10 hours max for a 10-year-old).
Physiotherapy Treatment Principles
Load management (relative rest, not complete rest), activity modification, addressing biomechanical risk factors (weakness, tightness, alignment), and guided return to sport with growth monitoring.