Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes.

Sports participation can have tremendous physical and mental health benefits for children. Properly implemented progressive training programs can yield a broad range of beneficial physiologic adaptations, but imbalances of training load and recovery can have important negative consequences. Overuse injuries, for example, can result from repetitive stress without sufficient recovery that leads to accumulated musculoskeletal damage. In addition, extended periods of increased training loads that exceed the intervening recovery can have systemic consequences such as overtraining syndrome, which results in decreased performance, increased injury and illness risk, and derangement of endocrine, neurologic, cardiovascular, and psychological systems. Burnout represents one of the primary reasons for attrition in youth sports. Broadly defined as physical or mental exhaustion and a reduced sense of accomplishment that leads to devaluation of sport, burnout represents a direct threat to the goal of lifelong physical activity and the wide-ranging health benefits that it provides. This clinical report is intended to provide pediatricians with information regarding the risk factors, diagnosis, management, and prevention of these conditions to assist in the identification of at-risk children, the treatment of young athletes, and the guidance of families in the promotion of safe and healthy sport participation.

Mindfulness for Young Athletes.

Mindfulness has been around for centuries and a significant amount of research has been published in the past 6 years. Mindfulness has been shown to be helpful to improve overall well-being and sports performance. There has been a large increase in anxiety, depression, and overall stress in the pediatric, adolescent, and young adult population. This clinical commentary highlights the importance of using mindfulness as one tool to help young athletes improve their overall well-being and athletic performance. It also describes how it can be utilized in the sports medicine world along with noting a novel program at a Children's Hospital that is utilizing these tools to help young athletes.

Age of Early Specialization, Competitive Volume, Injury, and Sleep Habits in Youth Sport: A Preliminary Study of US Youth Basketball.

BACKGROUND: Concerns for youth sports in the United States often focus on early sport specialization, overemphasis on competition, injuries, and burnout. Little research has addressed relationships among the preceding and other concerns, including time away from organized sport, sleep, and perceptions of physical and psychological well-being. HYPOTHESIS: There is an association between reported competitive gameplay volume and specialization, injury, and fatigue among elite youth basketball players. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; convenience sample. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. METHODS: An anonymous questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of youth basketball players between 13 and 18 years of age from across the United States. Participants were queried about multiple factors, including the extent of their participation in organized basketball and other sports, time away from organized basketball, injury, sleep, and feelings of exhaustion related to basketball participation. RESULTS: A total of 772 participants (145 girls, 627 boys) completed a survey. All participants played for a select or elite club basketball team and/or a high school basketball team. Overall, 49% played more than 50 games within the past year. A total of 73% were specialized in basketball, 58% prior to age 14 years, and 35% prior to age 11 years. In all, 70% reported less than 1 month away from organized basketball within the past year, and 28% reported no time away. A total of 54% reported sleeping less than the recommended 8 hours each night during the school year. Within the prior year, 55% reported feeling physically exhausted and 45% reported feeling mentally exhausted from basketball. Regression analysis did not find any significant relationships between early specialization prior to age 14 years and basketball-related injury or feelings of mental or physical exhaustion. CONCLUSION: In this select group of youth basketball players, the majority specialized in basketball prior to age 14 years and reported a large number of competitive events with little time away from organized basketball. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results from a sample of highly competitive youth basketball players indicate issues that warrant further attention and research regarding the potential impact of specialization, frequent competitions, lack of time away from organized sport, and perceptions of well-being in young athletes.

Current Sport Organization Guidelines From the AMSSM 2019 Youth Early Sport Specialization Research Summit.

CONTEXT: Youth athletes may be at elevated risk for adverse health due to sport specialization. Sport organizations have developed guidelines for participation during growth and development. OBJECTIVE: To assess youth sport development guidelines using a 15-item framework across sport organizations and governing bodies in soccer, basketball, ice hockey, and swimming. DATA SOURCES: English-language results from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2018, from published sport organization guidelines and athlete development plans. STUDY SELECTION: Two investigators independently reviewed publications identified from sport organizations. A total of 23 guidelines were incorporated, including 5 general sport organizations and 18 sport-specific guidelines. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators independently identified all recommendations that fit within a predetermined rubric of recommendations encompassing 4 domains: Psychological Development/Approach, Physical Development/Load, Facilities and Resources, and Timing and Monitoring of Specialization. Sport-specific guidelines on volume were summarized. RESULTS: Sport organizations and sport-specific guidelines had consensus on 2 items out of the 15-item: emphasis on early skill development and access to well-trained coaches. While recommended by all sports organization, multisport participation was emphasized by 3 of 4 sports, excluding soccer. Volume recommendations were inconsistent between and within sports. No group proposed methods to monitor athlete well-being. CONCLUSION: This review highlights areas of agreement within sport organizations and governing bodies. Creating a framework to guide youth sport specialization may lead to specific and consistent guidelines.

Systematic Review of Health Organization Guidelines Following the AMSSM 2019 Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit.

CONTEXT: Youth sport specialization may place young athletes at increased risk for negative impacts to their physical and/or psychological health. In response to these health concerns, several health organizations have created guidelines and position statements to guide parents and practitioners toward best practices for management of the young athlete. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review and synthesize current organizations' recommendations and guidelines regarding youth sport specialization. DATA SOURCES: English-language articles from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2018, in the NCBI Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus databases. STUDY SELECTION: Articles that reported on recommendations or interventions by health organizations or health representatives of sports organizations. A total of 56 articles were assessed, with 11 meeting inclusion eligibility criteria. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators independently identified all recommendations within the results that fit within a 15-item framework encompassing 4 domains: Psychological Development/Approach, Physical Development/Load, Facilities and Resources, and Timing and Monitoring of Specialization. RESULTS: Recommendations across organizations were primarily clustered in the Physical Development/Load (43%), Facilities and Resources (48%), and Sport Specialization (55%) domains. In contrast, the Psychological Development/Approach domain had fewer recommendations (20%). The most common recommendations endorsed concepts: "Monitor athlete well-being," "Youth athletes need access to well-trained, quality coaches," "Multi-sport participation," "Limit early organized participation and/or training," and "Parents require awareness of training, coaching, and best practices." The level of evidence provided to support a given recommendation varied significantly. The level of detail and the consistency of terms used throughout the results were typically low. Recommendations were frequently made without reference to potential outcome measures or specific strategies that could be used for practical implementation in the community. CONCLUSION: There was broad representation of different aspects of specialization but limited consistency between health organization guidelines. Adopting a framework for recommendations as used in this review could assist organizations in structuring future recommendations that are specific, measurable, and framed in a manner that will promote action in the youth sport community.

Defining a Research Agenda for Youth Sport Specialization in the United States: The AMSSM Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit.

ABSTRACT: Sport specialization is becoming increasingly common among youth and adolescent athletes in the United States and many have raised concern about this trend. Although research on sport specialization has grown significantly, numerous pressing questions remain pertaining to short- and long-term effects of specialization on the health and well-being of youth, including the increased risk of overuse injury and burnout. Many current elite athletes did not specialize at an early age. Methodological and study design limitations impact the quality of current literature, and researchers need to prioritize pressing research questions to promote safe and healthy youth sport participation. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine hosted a Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit in April 2019 with the goal of synthesizing and reviewing current scientific knowledge and developing a research agenda to guide future research in the field based on the identified gaps in knowledge. This statement provides a broad summary of the existing literature, gaps and limitations in current evidence, and identifies key research priorities to help guide researchers conducting research on youth sport specialization. Our goals are to help improve the quality and relevance of research on youth sport specialization and to ultimately assure that opportunities for healthy and safe sport participation continue for all youth.

Defining a research agenda for youth sport specialisation in the USA: the AMSSM Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit.

Sport specialisation is becoming increasingly common among youth and adolescent athletes in the USA and many have raised concern about this trend. Although research on sport specialisation has grown significantly, numerous pressing questions remain pertaining to short-term and long-term effects of specialisation on the health and well-being of youth, including the increased risk of overuse injury and burnout. Many current elite athletes did not specialise at an early age. Methodological and study design limitations impact the quality of current literature, and researchers need to prioritise pressing research questions to promote safe and healthy youth sport participation. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine hosted a Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit in April 2019 with the goal of synthesising and reviewing current scientific knowledge and developing a research agenda to guide future research in the field based on the identified gaps in knowledge. This statement provides a broad summary of the existing literature, gaps and limitations in current evidence and identifies key research priorities to help guide researchers conducting research on youth sport specialisation. Our goals are to help improve the quality and relevance of research on youth sport specialisation and to ultimately assure that opportunities for healthy and safe sport participation continue for all youth.

Back Pain in Children and Adolescents.

Back pain has long been considered an uncommon complaint in the pediatric population. When present, teaching had been that pediatric back pain almost always has a diagnosable cause, many of which are progressive and potentially debilitating. Recent evidence has suggested that pediatric back pain is not only more common than once thought but also, within certain populations, benign and idiopathic. This, in turn, places an increasing amount of pressure on pediatricians to accurately assess and manage their patients presenting with complaints of back pain. The aim of this article is to serve as a review of the current literature on pediatric back pain. The article reviews the epidemiology, basic anatomy, and important elements of a history and examination, which should be considered when a child presents complaining of back pain. Last, a common differential diagnosis with evaluation and management is also given to help guide pediatricians through their medical decision making.

The Psychosocial Implications of Sport Specialization in Pediatric Athletes.

Data on the psychosocial implications of sport specialization in pediatric athletes are lacking. Sport specialization often requires increased training hours and may predispose young athletes to social isolation, poor academic performance, increased anxiety, greater stress, inadequate sleep, decreased family time, and burnout. Sport specialization frequently introduces multiple stressors that could be expected to adversely affect mental health and function in young athletes and may increase the risk for burnout. This may be confounded by altered sleep duration and quality, increased drive for elite status, and perfectionistic personality types. The signs and symptoms of burnout in young athletes can be difficult to detect. It is important to be aware of the possible diagnosis of burnout in young athletes who display vague symptoms and a decrease in academic performance. The purpose of this review was to survey the available literature on sport specialization in young athletes and its association with mental health, sleep, the drive for success in sport, and burnout.

The NBA and Youth Basketball: Recommendations for Promoting a Healthy and Positive Experience.

Participation in sports offers both short-term and long-term physical and psychosocial benefits for children and adolescents. However, an overemphasis on competitive success in youth sports may limit the benefits of participation, and could increase the risk of injury, burnout, and disengagement from physical activity. The National Basketball Association and USA Basketball recently assembled a group of leading experts to share their applied research and practices to address these issues. This review includes the group's analysis of the existing body of research regarding youth sports participation and the related health, performance, and psychosocial outcomes. Based upon this, age-specific recommendations for basketball participation are provided that aim to promote a healthy and positive experience for youth basketball players.

Rickettsia parkeri infections diagnosed by eschar biopsy, Virginia, USA.

BACKGROUND: Infection with Rickettsia parkeri is an emerging tick-borne illness, often accompanied by fever and an eschar at the site of tick attachment. We present three cases of R. parkeri in Virginia residents. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Case 1 presented initially afebrile, failed to seroconvert to rickettsial antigens, and was diagnosed by DNA testing of the eschar. Case 2 presented febrile with eschar, no serologies were performed, and was diagnosed by DNA testing of the eschar. Case 3 presented febrile with eschar, serologies were negative for rickettsial antigens, and was diagnosed by DNA testing of the eschar. CONCLUSION: DNA testing of eschars represents an under-utilized diagnostic test and may aid in cases where the diagnosis is not made clinically.

Sports Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes.

Sports specialization is becoming the norm in youth sports for a variety of reasons. When sports specialization occurs too early, detrimental effects may occur, both physically and psychologically. If the timing is correct and sports specialization is performed under the correct conditions, the athlete may be successful in reaching specific goals. Young athletes who train intensively, whether specialized or not, can also be at risk of adverse effects on the mind and body. The purpose of this clinical report is to assist pediatricians in counseling their young athlete patients and their parents regarding sports specialization and intensive training. This report supports the American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report "Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes."

AOSSM Early Sport Specialization Consensus Statement.

BACKGROUND: Early sport specialization is not a requirement for success at the highest levels of competition and is believed to be unhealthy physically and mentally for young athletes. It also discourages unstructured free play, which has many benefits. PURPOSE: To review the available evidence on early sports specialization and identify areas where scientific data are lacking. STUDY DESIGN: Think tank, roundtable discussion. RESULTS: The primary outcome of this think tank was that there is no evidence that young children will benefit from early sport specialization in the majority of sports. They are subject to overuse injury and burnout from concentrated activity. Early multisport participation will not deter young athletes from long-term competitive athletic success. CONCLUSION: Youth advocates, parents, clinicians, and coaches need to work together with the sport governing bodies to ensure healthy environments for play and competition that do not create long-term health issues yet support athletic competition at the highest level desired.

Anticipatory Guidance for Long-Distance Running in Young Athletes.

More young children are participating in endurance running events such as full and half marathons, and the safety of these events for children has been heavily debated. There is a paucity of evidence on either side of the debate. However, overuse injuries, stress fractures, as well as the potential for psychologic burnout are legitimate concerns. Parents who are seeking advice from pediatricians about child participation in these endurance events should be made aware of these risks. Young children may participate in endurance running events under close supervision from health professionals, coaches, and parents, with full medical evaluation before initiation of training, throughout training, as well as 6 to 12 months post-race. Special attention should be made to the psychologic well-being of the child, with the participation in running being child-driven, not parent- or coach-driven, and emphasis on enjoyment and fitness, not competition.

State-specific differences in school sports preparticipation physical evaluation policies.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the current preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE) administrative policies and cardiovascular screening content of all 50 states and Washington, DC. METHODS: PPE policies, documents, and forms from all 50 states and Washington, DC, were compared with the preparticipation physical evaluation-fourth edition (PPE-4) consensus recommendations. All electronic documents were publicly available and obtained from state interscholastic athletic associations. RESULTS: Fifty (98%) states required a PPE before participation. Most states (53%, n = 27) required a specific PPE form, whereas 24% (n = 12) of states recommended a specific form. Twenty-three states (45%) required or recommended use of the PPE-4 form or a modified version of it, and 27 states (53%) required or recommended use of outdated or unidentifiable forms. Ten states (20%) had not revised their PPE forms in >5 years. States permitted 9 different health care providers to administer PPEs. Only 22 states (43%) addressed all 12 of the PPE-4 personal and family history cardiovascular screening items, and 2 states (4%) addressed between 8 and 11 items. For the remaining 26 states, most (29%) addressed ≤3 screening items. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that inconsistencies in PPE policies exist nationwide. Most states have been slow to adopt PPE-4 recommendations and do not adequately address the personal and family cardiovascular history questions. Findings suggest a need for PPE standardization nationwide and adoption of an electronic PPE process. This approach would enable creation of a national database and benefit the public by facilitating a more evidenced PPE.

Reducing injury risk from body checking in boys' youth ice hockey.

Ice hockey is an increasingly popular sport that allows intentional collision in the form of body checking for males but not for females. There is a two- to threefold increased risk of all injury, severe injury, and concussion related to body checking at all levels of boys' youth ice hockey. The American Academy of Pediatrics reinforces the importance of stringent enforcement of rules to protect player safety as well as educational interventions to decrease unsafe tactics. To promote ice hockey as a lifelong recreational pursuit for boys, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the expansion of nonchecking programs and the restriction of body checking to elite levels of boys' youth ice hockey, starting no earlier than 15 years of age.