Kids who specialize in one sport early on may be headed for significant long-term injuries from overuse and sports medicine doctors are concerned. If your young child is zeroing in on a specific sport in hopes of gaining a college scholarship, playing professionally or competing in the Olympics, there are some things to consider.
“Studies show early specialization does not increase your child’s chances of achieving elite levels of success in a sport later in life,” says Dr. Katherine Fox, an SSM Health sports medicine physician. “For most sports, early diversification is more likely to lead to success.”
Dr. Fox says it can be very easy for parents to push a little too far with intense training when a child is very young, especially if their child has big dreams and significant athletic ability.
“That situation can lead to injury due to overuse including traumatic injuries that may have some long-lasting effects on them. Not only is injury more likely, but so is mental burnout, anxiety, depression and dropping out completely. Plus, there can be a lot of social isolation resulting from an early focus on high performance in one sport,” says Fox.
Young athletes who ‘play through the pain’ could also be doing long term damage that could require surgery later. For example, elbow pain in baseball or knee pain in volleyball should be taken seriously. Fox says specialization can lead to health issues when it happens before puberty, when a child's bones are still growing and adds their growth plates are a prime spot for injury.
“Kids should avoid playing one sport more than eight months in a year. Ideally, there should be a three-to-four month break from a primary sport to prevent overuse and burnout.”
Dr. Fox appeared on WKOW’s Wellness Wednesday to talk about the dangers of early sports specialization. View the segment on WKOW.COM.
