By Chris Byers, PT
Parents of young athletes may remember the days when the school’s “star athlete” played football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball or track in the spring. And, interestingly, those multi-sport athletes had significantly fewer injuries than athletes today. There are many factors that can influence that number, such as fewer athletes, less intense practices, and fewer workouts in the off season, but one thing we know for sure is that back then, athletes got more rest.
It’s important for everyone to realize the importance of rest for young athletes. And, specifically, two different types of rest: relative rest and sleep. Some of the negative effects caused by lack of rest include:
- Overuse injuries
- Mental fatigue and depression
- Increased episodes of illness
- Moodiness
Relative Rest
Many orthopedic surgeons are concerned about the trend in youth sports and the resulting injuries. According to Dr. Eric Chehab, orthopedic surgeon with a specialty in sports medicine at Illinois Bone and Joint Institute in Chicago, says, “We see overuse injuries in youth sports all day long. It’s every sport: its soccer; its volleyball; its baseball. Youth sports are being professionalized. Kids are being forced to make commitments to a single sport at an early age, and there’s no question that they are getting overuse injuries.” He recommends kids play one sport per season and for one team, and have one day off per week and one month per year.
The type of rest needed in this situation is relative rest. Relative rest means changing the type of activity so that different body parts are being used. An example is having a young baseball player play a position on the field instead of pitching, if his or her arm is sore. Another common way to rest from the specific stresses of a sport is cross training. Play a different sport or do a different activity like swimming or biking for a week or two, instead of practice and games.
Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph, professor of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center, recommends a minimum of one season off per year to play a different sport for relative rest. That means not playing a sport year round. Or, having breaks to allow the body to repair itself.
Sleep
The other kind of rest is sleep. How many hours of sleep does your child get on average? Got a number in your mind? Now, let me tell you what the experts recommend.
Studies have shown that the optimal length of uninterrupted sleep for an adolescent athlete is 9.2 hours per night. Research also shows that symptoms of sleep deprivation occur with lower amounts of sleep and symptoms are cumulative. Thus, if a child is not getting ample sleep — let’s say they average seven hours a night — that would amount to a 10 hour deficit by the weekend. And, this deficit cannot be made up by an extra 2–3 hours of sleep over the weekend.
Chronic lack of quality sleep decreases the body’s ability to repair the tissue that has been stressed and broken during sport; and, the ability to replenish energy supplied to the muscles. The other important process that occurs during sleep is the release of growth hormones responsible for muscle repair and growth. This process is limited by sleep deprivation. As a parent, you can do the following to improve your child’s rest.
- Establish a regular sleep schedule. Regular sleep patterns help the body to fall asleep.
- Create a good sleeping environment with absolute darkness (no cell phone or bright clock light), quiet surroundings, and cool temperatures. 65 degrees is the recommended temperature.
- Stress to your child that having adequate rest will enhance their athletic performance and that research, definitely, backs that up!
Let’s be observant of our children’s behaviors and remember that muscle soreness is common but should be brief and joint pain should never be ignored.
For more information on any sort of pain or injury, you may contact Advanced Rehab & Sports Medicine at 309-664-9104 or advrehab.com. Their office is located at 135 N. Williamsburg Dr. in Bloomington. Free assessments are offered within 24-hours of contact for patients of all ages.