Young athletes' injuries on the rise...how much it too much?

This weeks edition of  Training Wednesday is for the kids.  You’re an athlete and know the impact sport has had on your life and who wouldn’t want to share that with their children?  But what level of sport is appropriate for each age?

When it comes to swimming, not only is it a great activity for athletes of all levels and ages, it can also be a survival skill.  Until just recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics didn’t recommend swimming lessons for children under the age of 4.  But now, new information shows that, depending on a child’s development and maturity, they can benefit from swimming lessons as early as one year old.  The AAP also recognized that the drowning rate for children who began lessons early is life is significantly less that those who did not.

So what happens when your young swimmer decides they want to try for the Olympics?  Or even a college scholarship? How much training is too much on a young persons body? As athletic standards increase the pressure falls on younger and younger athletes to train harder and more frequently in order to excel at their sport.  However, stress on growth plates and injury to joints and muscles at a young age can lead to growth issues and early on-set arthritis.  Also, the medical community admits that they don’t know the long term effects of over-use injuries on children and teens.  Cross training and moderation can be key to success as lifetime athlete.