By Bryce Paschold, DPM, Orthopedic & Sports Enhancement Center
Recently, it has become quite popular for adolescents and even young children to focus on only one sport year-round. In the past, it was more popular for athletes to play multiple sports, focusing on a new sport each season, with the goal of playing as many sports as possible.
There were no travel teams and reaching the high school varsity team was the goal for many. With the advent of increased exposure associated with travel teams, the goal for many now is to attain a college scholarship. This sometimes leads to increased pressure placed on the adolescent athlete by parents and coaches, which in turn may lead to less enjoyment by the athlete. There has been widespread debate on whether sport specialization leads to increased risk of injury, and the effects that an injury could have on a young person’s psyche. There is also the concern that specialization leads to sport “burnout” with young athletes quitting sports early.
Sport specialization is defined as intense, year-round training in a single sport with the exclusion of all other sports. Most experts would agree that some form of sport specialization is necessary for athletes to become an “elite” level performer or to gain a college scholarship. However, it is recommended that this should not take place until the child is at least in late adolescence, which is defined as the mid-teenage years or middle of puberty. Participation in youth sports has evolved from child-driven free play to adult-driven, drill-oriented, highly structured practice time. This in turn may lead to burnout and even increases the chance that a child will prematurely quit a sport altogether. If a child does quit his or her sport, there is then an increase in depression due to the withdrawal from feeling like they are a part of a team. A study published by Ohio State University found that children who did specialize early in a single sport led to higher rates of physical inactivity in their adult years. This is thought to be because these athletes are usually the first ones to quit and give up on sports and activity in general due to burnout.
Although child burnout and its effects on a child’s psyche is disheartening, the most eye-popping reason for multiple sport diversification is the relationship to injury risk. According to a team of pediatric orthopedists, children who specialize in a specific sport account for 50 percent of all pediatric overuse injuries. What’s more, in a study of 1,200 athletes performed at Loyola University, athletes who specialize in sports are 70 to 93 percent more likely to be injured than other children who are playing multiple sports. These statistics are indeed jaw-dropping, but the reason is simple: playing one sport year-round works the exact same muscle groups without any rest period. With sport diversification, the advent of a new sport works out new muscle groups, and in turn gives the muscle groups worked in a previous sport a chance to rest.
Youth researchers Jean Cote and Jessica Fraser-Thomas provide an age-related breakdown for time spent focusing on one sport:
- Prior to age 12: 80 percent of time should be spent in free play and in sports other than chosen sports
- Age 13-15: 50 percent of time should be spent in chosen sport
- Age 16+: 20 percent of time should be spent in free play and non-chosen sports
So, even if your child is the “next Tiger Woods,” the data still supports sport diversification until late adolescence. This is truly the best thing for a child’s long-term health!
Dr. Bryce Paschold, DPM, provides a complete range of foot and ankle services for patients of any age, including performing shockwave therapy. He is board certified and subspecializes in foot and ankle sports medicine. For any foot or ankle-related problem, no matter how big or small, please feel free to contact Dr. Paschold at the Orthopedic & Sports Enhancement Center (OSEC) at 309-663-9300, visit their Facebook page, or check out their website at www.sportsenhancement.net.