Too Much of a Good Thing? Injury Risk Management for Today's Adolescent Athlete
Abstract:
An estimated 60 million youths ages 6-18 are currently participating in organized sports in the United States. Recent trends have been towards sport-specialization and year-round participation at younger ages, leading to an increase in overuse injuries and burnout in adolescent athletes. ATs should be aware of the risks of sport-specialization and excessive training volume, as well as the current recommendations for organized sports participation in these areas, to implement risk reduction ideas with key stakeholders. In the decline of school physical education programs, safe adolescent sports participation may lead to increased physical activity and better overall health beyond adolescent years.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify current sport trends leading to increased injury risk in adolescent athletes.
- Explain the benefits of multi-sport participation in adolescent athletes.
- Recommend appropriate sport training volume and timing with key stakeholders (parents, coaches, etc.) as they relate to injury risk and motor development in adolescent athletes.
- Develop a preseason training program appropriate to their setting which addresses reducing the risk of adolescent overuse injuries.
Level:
Essential
Domain(s):
Domain 1: Risk Reduction Wellness and Health Literacy
Domain 4: Therapeutic Intervention
Orthopedic Domain(s):
N/A
CEUs:
1.0 Category A
Keywords:
sport specialization; overuse; burnout
In order to earn your CEUs, you must watch the session video in its entirety and complete the assessment.
Course Expiration:
All sessions of the NATA 76th Symposia On-Demand must be completed by October 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
For full details, refer to the expiration policy on our FAQ page.
Joshua Yonker, MS, LAT, ATC
Joshua Yonker is an Outreach Athletic Trainer with Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. He has been in this role since May 2019 after serving 14 years at the Head Athletic Trainer at Lamar University in Beaumont. Joshua earned his BS in Sport & Exercise Science from the University of Northern Colorado and his MS in Health, Phys Ed & Recreation, Biomechanics from Utah State University. He currently serves as an AT Spotter for the American Athletic Conference at Rice University football games.
Joshua is a member of the AT research committee at Houston Methodist, and he is the Executive Director of the Athletic Trainers of the Golden Triangle in Southeast Texas.