Pediatric Overuse Injuries- Too Much Of A Good Thing?

I remember in high school when we voted someone most athletic, they usually were good at more than one sport. It may have been a guy that played football, then basketball, then baseball. Or a girl that played soccer, then ran track. That, however, is becoming less common today and specialization is becoming the norm.

Kids are becoming dedicated to a particular sport at a younger age. They focus themselves year round on trying to be the best. They go from their high school team to the club team. They hope for a possible college scholarship and perhaps a professional career.

Along with year-round preparation and practice though, there are consequences- an alarming increase in overuse injuries. In the 2005-2006 school year, more than 1.4 million injuries were sustained by high school athletes. Most of these, could have been prevented with proper education and timely treatment.

The important thing to realize is that children are not little adults. Coaches need to be educated in the effects of overtraining on an immature musculoskeletal system. What worked for them and what is tradition, is not always in the best interest of the young athlete. With the evolution of science and medicine, training methods also need to evolve.

If you bend a piece of metal repetitively, it will eventually break at its weakest link. And that is what happens with an immature musculoskeletal system. Where adults can get tendinitis, strains, or ruptures at their weakest links, children can get traction apophysitis injuries. These are irritations to the growth plates because children have bones that are not completely fused. Injuries at these vulnerable sites produce inflammation, pain, and can stimulate bone growth.

Common sites for these types of injuries are: heels, shins, knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders. If your athletic child is experiencing pain in any of these areas, the best thing to do is set up an appointment with your physician to have them evaluated, so the proper course of treatment can be recommended. (I'll talk a little more about treatments in my next blog). And remember, just because a physical therapist says they treat sports injuries, doesn't mean they have direct experience in a sports setting. At ESPT, our director is the only Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialist in the area. (Check us out at Elite Sports Physical Therapy).

The bottom line is that kids aren't immune to injuries and they are in fact becoming more common. Increased awareness by the athletes, parents, and coaches can aid with earlier detection and prevention. And this in turn will allow kids to continue playing the sports they love and to continue just being kids.

(To Be Continued)

ESPT Welcomes New Staff

Elite Sports Physical Therapy is thrilled to introduce its newest staff members to the Fremont Community. Each of our therapists have been hand picked because of their experience and qualifications. At ESPT, our commitment is to provide you with the best physical therapy services in the Fremont, Newark, Union City area and this begins with our clinicians. Nowhere else in the area will you find a more complete orthopedic rehabilitation team, than at ESPT.


In September 2008, Floyd VitoCruz, MSPT, CSCS joined our team from the Riekes Center in Menlo Park. Floyd earned his Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy from UCSF. He has since worked in both acute care and outpatient orthopedic settings. He has had the opportunity to work with a wide array of patients, including high school/collegiate level athletes, weekend warriors, and professional athletes.

Floyd believes that by empowering patients with the appropriate knowledge, they can be proactive in achieving their personal goal, be it returning to a desk job or competing in the Olympics. Outside of the clinic, Floyd enjoys cycling, keeping up with a variety of sports, and keeping up with his culinary skills. During the winter, you can always find him planning his next trip to Lake Tahoe, waxing/tuning his snowboard, and praying for the next perfect powder day.


In February 2009, Charissa Chaban, MPT, ATC joined ESPT from the ValleyCare Health System in Pleasanton. Charissa earned her Master of Physical Therapy degree from CSU Fresno. She has since worked as an outpatient clinic manager in beautiful Hawaii and as a traveling therapist throughout California.

Charissa is an accomplished dancer and has had the unique privilege of training at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries in New York. Though her passion is in treating dance-related injuries, Charissa enjoys working with all types of patients from young to old and from sports injuries to everyday overuse injuries. Charissa is trained in mat and reformer pilates and continues to dance professionally with the Oakland Ballet Company. She will help us start a Dance Rehabilitation/ Dance Therapy program at ESPT- the 1st in Fremont!! (More on this in a future blog).


It is an honor an privilege for us at ESPT to continue to add only the best clinicians to our team. No other clinic can boast the credentials that we have at ESPT- the only Board Certified Sports Clinical Specialist in the area, 2 NATA Certified Athletic Trainers, and 2 NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists. All of this shows our commitment at ESPT to the highest level of clinical care.