Chapter 25 Preventing and Managing Injuries in Young Athletes

CHAPTER 25
Preventing and Managing Injuries in
Young Athletes
OVERVIEW
Being involved in athletics can be a positive and rewarding event for young
people. Organized sports continue to grow in the United States, and although it can
be a positive experience, it can also place too much emotional and physical stress
on a growing child. In addition to the emotional and physical stress, highly
competitive contact and collision sports can cause injuries that would result in
immature cessation of growth. Extreme training can increase the risk of overuse
injuries as well.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying Chapter 25, the student will be able to:

Explain which sports have the highest injury rates for youth athletes.
Explain the Tanner stages of maturity for both males and females.
Explain the critical Tanner stage of maturity and its impact on youth sports.
Explain the guidelines for physical conditioning and training for young athletes.
Discuss the American Academy of Pediatrics strength training recommendations
for youth.
Describe the guidelines for managing injuries in school athletic programs.
Describe the guidelines for injury prevention of sports specific activities.
Describe injuries common to youth including growth plate fractures, apophysitis,
avulsion fractures, and spondylolysis.
Identify ways sports injuries can be prevented in youth athletics.

KEY TERMINOLOGY
Apophysitis Inflammation or irritation of the apophysis where a tendon originates

or insert.
Avulsion fracture A piece of bone is fractured and pulled away from the rest of

the bone at the site of tendon or ligament attachment

Growth plate fracture A fracture in the physis which is the area of developing

tissue near the ends of a long bone between the metaphysis and epiphysis
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) - An association that

developed coaching standards

National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA) - An association that currently

offers certifications to coaches

Osgood-Schlatters Disease Apophysitis of the tibial tubercle in the knee at the

attachment site of the patellar tendon

Severs Disease Apophysitis of the calcaneous at the attachment of the Achilles

tendon
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Chapter 25 Preventing and Managing Injuries in Young Athletes

Spondylolysis A defect or fracture in the bony structure of the spine usually at

the L-5 level

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Chapter 25 Preventing and Managing Injuries in Young Athletes

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why can participation in sports at a young age be detrimental?
2. Can we treat children as miniature adults with regards to physical conditioning
and strength training? Why not?
3. Are all children equal in ability?
4. Why is it important for coaches to be qualified? What are the potential
ramifications if they are not?
5. What injuries are common in young athletes? What do all of these injuries have
in common?

CLASS ACTIVITES
1. Take the class out to some youth sporting events to observe the actions of the
coaches and parents.
2. Develop a conditioning program and a strength training program that would be
safe for children and discuss how it is different than one used for an adult.
3. Select a youth sport and write a paper discussing the prevalence of injury, types
of injuries that occur, and ways to prevent those injuries from occurring.

WORKSHEET ANSWERS
Short Answer
1. Stage 3. This is the stage of fastest bone growth. In this stage, the growth plates
are two to five times weaker than the joint capsule and tendon attachments.
2. Only in the situation of a collision sport in which the boys have attained a greater
muscle mass in proportion to their body weight
3. Basketball
4. Tanners staging emphasizes that young athletes in grades 7 to 12 must be
matched by maturity, not age.
5. Caused by repetitive loading of the lumbar spine in extension/hyperextension.
Found in ballet, gymnastics, diving, football, weight lifting and wrestling
6. Inflammation or irritation of the apophysis where a tendon originates or inserts.
Severs Disease is apophysitis of the calcaneous at the attachment of the Achilles
tendon, and Osgood Schlatters Disease is apophysitis of the tibial tubercle at
the attachment of the patellar tendon.
Listing
7. Youth should work with coaches/athletic trainers year round to ensure they
maintain their conditioning with appropriate exercises and nutrition.
8. Young athletes should engage in appropriate conditioning programs for a
minimum of six weeks before the start of daily practice.
9. A minimum of a 15 minute warm-up period before any game or practice and an
appropriate cool- down period afterwards. Young athletes should also warm-up
for five minutes during any prolonged breaks in activity.
10.Young athletes should routinely stretch properly before and after workouts.
11.Workouts and practices should be limited to no more than two hours.
12.A medical evaluation should be performed by a physician prior to the start of a
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Chapter 25 Preventing and Managing Injuries in Young Athletes

program.
13.Aerobic conditioning should be coupled with resistance training if general health
benefits are the goal.
14.Strength training programs should include a warm-up and cool-down component.
15.Specific strength training exercises should be learned initially with no resistance.
Once the skill has been mastered, incremental loads can be added.
16.Progressive resistance exercise requires successful completion of 8-15 reps in
good form before increasing weight.
17.A general strengthening program should address all major muscle groups and
exercise through the complete range of motion.
18.Any sign of injury or illness from strength training should be evaluated before
continuing the exercise in question.
Essay
19-23.Refer to pages 400-403. Students should choose two of the following:
baseball/softball, basketball, football, soccer, track and field, volleyball, and
wrestling.

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Chapter 25 Preventing and Managing Injuries in Young Athletes

NAME _______________________
SECTION ______________

CHAPTER 25 WORKSHEET
Preventing and Managing Injuries in Young Athletes
SHORT ANSWER: Answer the following questions with a brief response.
1. Which stage of Tanners Maturity Assessment is the critical stage for collision
sports? Why?
2. Should children be separated by gender?
3. Which sport has the most emergency room visits for children ages 5-14?
4. Tanner's staging emphasizes that athletes in grades____ to___be matched by
_____, not_______.
5. What is the cause of spondylolysis? In which activities/sports is it commonly
found?
6. Define apophysitis and identify two injuries that can occur in young athletes.

LISTING: List the guidelines for youth physical conditioning and training.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

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Chapter 25 Preventing and Managing Injuries in Young Athletes

List the issues that should be considered when recommending or evaluating

strength training programs for children and adolescents.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
ESSAY:
19-23.Choose two sports and describe the sport specific guidelines for injury
prevention.

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2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.