Does a higher degree of sport specialization and intense training increase the risk of injuries in young athletes aged 7 to 18 years?
Higher degrees of sport specialization and intense training volumes relative to age and free play significantly increase the longitudinal risk of overuse injuries in young athletes.
BACKGROUND: There are no clinical longitudinal studies exploring the associations between sport specialization and intense training patterns and injuries in young athletes. PURPOSE: To prospectively determine the relationship between young athletes' degree of sport specialization and their risk of injuries and reinjuries. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: Young athletes aged between 7 and 18 years presenting for sports-related injuries or sports physical examinations were recruited from either sports medicine clinics or pediatric/family medicine offices. Each participant completed a baseline survey at enrollment and an identical follow-up survey every 6 months for 3 years. Surveys assessed training patterns and injuries. Injury type (acute, overuse, or serious overuse) and clinical diagnosis were also recorded from electronic medical records. RESULTS: < .001). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms that over time, young athletes, and in particular young female athletes, were more likely to be injured and sustain an overuse injury if they had a higher degree of sport specialization. Similarly, those athletes whose training hours exceeded thair age or whose sports hours exceeded their free play by a factor of greater than 2 were also more likely to develop injuries and overuse injuries.
Jayanthi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.