Harm Extra Doubtless When Teenagers Deal with One Sport

Newest Wholesome Youngsters Information

THURSDAY, Could 12, 2022 (HealthDay Information)

In case your teens play only one sport, new analysis suggests you may wish to encourage them to attempt others.

Researchers report that focusing solely on one sport places highschool athletes at elevated threat for accidents and burnout.

The investigators surveyed 975 U.S. highschool athletes and located that greater than 1 in 5 had a excessive stage of specialization in a single sport, whereas greater than 42% had a small stage of specialization.

“Quite a few research have identified that if you happen to focus on one sport, for instance, you solely play baseball otherwise you solely play soccer, you are doing the identical actions over and over, so there are a variety of points with repetitive use injuries,” mentioned examine writer Dee Warmath, an assistant professor within the Faculty of Household and Shopper Sciences on the College of Georgia.

“Different research [have] identified that there is additionally an affiliation with burnout,” Warmath mentioned in a college information launch. “You need younger adults to be engaged of their sport, and there are a variety of advantages of that. But when all you do year-round is play soccer, there is a threat you will get burned out and probably go away the game.”

The examine discovered that athletes who deliberate to play a sport in school and loved competitors had been extra prone to focus on one sport.

“We have to acknowledge that athletes interact in sports activities specialization for what are actually constructive causes: They wish to get higher at their sport. They wish to compete extra successfully,” Warmath mentioned.

Understanding why a teenager likes to focus on one sport may help mother and father and coaches discover methods to get younger athletes concerned in different sports activities.

“We would want a extra balanced method to coping with sport specialization when athletes are partaking in it for what are actually constructive causes,” Warmath mentioned.

“So as an alternative of claiming sport specialization is dangerous and also you should not do it, possibly it is extra about discovering methods to compete extra successfully and emphasizing how even some skilled athletes use different sports activities to coach for his or her major sport,” she mentioned. “This range of sports activities could make you higher in your major sport.”

The examine was printed not too long ago within the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.

Extra data

There’s extra on highschool sports activities accidents on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

SOURCE: College of Georgia, information launch, Could 2, 2022

By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter