Physical development should factor into choice of sport
By Laura Madden-Fuentes
Before letting young athletes play like the pros, know the risks – both physical and mental – of putting undeveloped muscles and bones to the test.
Joseph Chorley, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, suggests parents wait for indicators of physical maturity before allowing children to engage in intense, physically demanding activities and year-round sports.
Indicators of physical maturity
Indicators for boys include needing to shave and for girls, the beginning of menstruation, said Chorley, who is also a sports medicine specialist at Texas Children's Hospital.
"It is difficult to set an age at which kids should be allowed to throw a curveball (which puts undue stress on the shoulder and elbow) or play their sport of choice year-round," he said. "At 14, kids are at such different developmental stages than one another that the decision needs to be individualized."
Exposing a body too soon to intense physical strains can lead to serious injury.
Chorley regularly sees adolescents and children with shin splints, stress fractures and knee pain from running cross country; ankle sprains and low back pain from soccer; shoulder strains and bursitis in swimmers; jumper's knee and shoulder pain from volleyball and little league elbow and shoulder pain from pitching in baseball.
Emotionally ready?
As for playing sports year-round, children and adolescents should not only be developed and physically ready for the pressures but also emotionally prepared.
"Sports are a great way to enhance childhood, but they shouldn't take away from it," said Chorley. "Often parents lose perspective; only one in 10,000 high school varsity players will ever make money in pro sports. We shouldn't have an all-or-nothing attitude of either belonging to the physically elite or being a couch potato."
Chorley said adolescents who are serious about year-round sports can do so if they can maintain appropriate weight and growth, perform without pain and injury and meet their unique nutrition needs. He does, however, caution against psychological burnout, which can take the form of flu-like symptoms and less enjoyment of the activity.
"Whatever a young athlete's choice of sport, and whether contact is involved or not, it can be detrimental if the child is not physically, developmentally and emotionally ready," said Chorley. "Both parents and pediatricians need to be aware of the risks."
