Report Co-Authored by Dr. Joel Brenner, Medical Director of CHKD's Sports Medicine Program
NORFOLK, Va. -- Parents, coaches, and clinicians can help children enjoy the many physical and mental benefits that come with playing sports by taking important steps to ensure they avoid overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout.
In a new clinical report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, co-author Dr. Joel Brenner, medical director of the sports medicine program at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD), examines the reasons why 70 percent of youth quit playing organized sports by the time they reach the age of 13. The report, available online and in the February issue of Pediatrics, updates a prior report from 2007 with the latest evidence on how excessive training can lead to overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout. It also offers key recommendations for parents, coaches, and clinicians.
“It is essential that kids and adults remember that the main goal of sports is to have fun and learn lifelong physical activity skills,” said Brenner, a longtime advocate and champion for youth sports. “It should be the young athlete’s intrinsic motivation that drives their participation and not any extrinsic pressure.”
The report recommends:
- Athletes have a preparticipation exam within their medical home to receive guidance from their pediatrician regarding overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout.
- Encourage athletes to measure their success on participation and effort, and foster positive experiences with parents, coaches, and peers, which can prevent burnout.
- Promote skill development and participation in a variety of sports and physical activities while avoiding overtraining and overscheduling.
- Encourage the athlete, parent, and coach to make changes when there are signs of burnout and overtraining and involve a mental health professional, if needed.
- Encourage mindfulness tools.
- Use age-appropriate games and training to keep workouts interesting and make practices fun.
- Take adequate time off from organized or structured sports participation on a weekly and yearly basis.
- Focus on wellness and teaching athletes to listen to their bodies.
At CHKD, Dr. Brenner is medical director of CHKD’s sports medicine program and the director of CHKD’s sports concussion, dance medicine, and running programs. He also developed CHKD’s Mind and Body Wellness Coaching program, which teaches young athletes mental and physical wellness techniques to boost their sports performance and promote lifelong wellness. In addition to treating patients at CHKD, Dr. Brenner lectures nationally and internationally on topics including concussions and over-training in young athletes and sports specialization. He has also testified before the state and federal legislature to assist with laws protecting student-athletes with concussions.