Youth Sport Injury

Youth sports and athletic activities are such a valuable and fun experience for growing children. Most people can reflect back on a club sport or team they were part of when they were younger and have great memories and life lessons they learned from those experiences.

At Thrive, we have a passion for supporting the younger generation to develop strong, healthy habits that will allow them to continue sports throughout their lifetime.

Growing trends are increasing the risks of injury in youth athletes. These include early specialization in one sport; early induction into competitive sport; and an increase in strength and speeds from a younger age. Also, the influence of technology and social media is having a negative effect on the development of a healthy body posture as well as profound mental health effects. These are important contributors to injury.

Keeping youth active, strong, and participating in healthy activities has never been more important. By treating injuries quickly and effectively, we strive to help them do just that.

Working with youth affords a unique opportunity to educate them about injury prevention strategies before poor habits and pain develop. Competitive athletes have high demands on their bodies and it is essential that they are taught appropriate mobility and conditioning techniques to prevent injury and improve performance as early as possible.

Many parents may think that therapeutic interventions are unnecessary until well into the teen years; however, these strategies need to be in place early for ultimate sport performance.

Common youth sport injuries:

• Patellofemoral syndrome
• Growing pains
• Concussions
• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Shoulder pain
• Sprains/strains
• Early postural problems