The Effect of Single Sport Specialization in Youth Sports: Does It …€¦ · 3. Intensive...
Transcript of The Effect of Single Sport Specialization in Youth Sports: Does It …€¦ · 3. Intensive...
The Effect of Single Sport Specialization in Youth Sports: Does It Increase the Risk of
Injury? A Prospective Study
Danielle Weekes MD, Richard Campbell, BS, Fotios Tjoumakaris MD, Matthew D. Pepe MD, Bradford S. Tucker MD
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Disclosure Information
Consultant • Mitek
• DePuy
• Knee Creations
Stocks • Johnson & Johnson
• Franklin/Keystone Biosciences
• Trice Medical
Introduction
Youth participation in organized athletic activities has considerably increased over the last 2 decades.
1997: 44 million → 2008: 60 million1
81% of Children in the United States1,2
Adolescents are choosing to specialize in a single sport and exclude other sports, often at an earlier age.3,4
Potential Motives for Early Specialization
Competitive advantage
Collegiate scholarships
Professional career opportunity
Olympic participation
Introduction
• High school athletes who trained for more than 8 months per year are 3 times as likely to
report an history of an overuse knee injury.5
• Pediatricians have raised concerns about high intensity training programs
• The American Academy of Pediatrics has published guidelines addressing the intensity of
training of specialized pediatric athletes.3
• Physician Concerns:
• Intense physical demands on immature musculoskeletal system.
• Potential increased risk of overuse injuries
• Effect on non-musculoskeletal organ systems
Aims
1. Determine the prevalence of sport specialization among high school athletes.
2. Investigate the relationship between sport specialization and athletic injuries in both a retrospective and prospective fashion.
Methods: Study Design
• Potential participants were recruited from 3 high schools within our geographic practice distribution.
• 883 Freshman and sophomore high school athletes who did not previously participate in the school athletic program were enrolled with the plan to be followed until graduation.
• Data Collection:
• Pre-seasonal survey • Demographics, current sport commitment, intensity of training, and prior injuries • Conducted in the fall, winter and spring
• Assessment of sport specialization by questionnaire • Certified Athletic Trainer records at the end of each season. • Athletes’ physician medical records when applicable.
Results
Parameter Specialized Non-Specialized
Total 365 (41.3%) 518 (58.7%)
Male 204 (40.9%) 295 (59.1%)
Female 161 (41.9%) 223 (58.1%)
Age of initial competitive sport participation∗ 7.3 years ± 2.7 8.3 years ± 3.2
Hours/week participating in organized sport activities∗
6 hours/week 5 hours/week
∗: significant difference, p <0.05
• Injuries Reported • 60.2% Specialized vs. 52.3% Non-
specialized (p = 0.02, OR: 1.38)
• Season ending injuries reported • 38.1% Specialized vs. 29.3% non-
specialized (p < 0.01, OR: 1.48)
• 38.3% of specialized athletes believed specializing in one sport contributed to their previous injuries.
Results: Prevalence of Retrospective Injuries
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Specialized Athlete Non-Specialized Athlete
Pe
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Prevalence of Retrospective Injuries
• 25 injuries occurred in 21
specialized athletes (6.8% injuries
per athlete).
• 30 injuries occurred in 25 non-
specialized athletes (5.8% injuries
per athlete).
• There was no significant difference
in the prevalence of injury in each
group (p = 0.52).
Results: Prevalence of Prospective Injuries
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
7%
8%
9%
10%
Specialized Athlete Non-Specialized Athlete
Pe
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Prevalence of Prospective Injuries
Conclusions
Over 40% of high-school athletes specialized in a sport before or during their freshman and sophomore year.
Specialized athletes begin participating in competitive sports earlier in life, and dedicated more of their time to organized athletic activities.
Retrospectively: Specialized athletes are more likely to have a history of sports related injuries and were more likely to have participation limiting injuries.
Prospectively: Higher rate of injury among specialized athletes, although this relationship was not significant.
References
1. National Council of Youth Sports. Report on Trends and Participation In Organized Youth Sports National Council of Youth Sports.; 2018. https://ncys.org/pdfs/2008/2008-ncys-market-research-report.pdf. Accessed December 7, 2018.
2. Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Changing Child Population of the United States An Analysis of the U.S. Population Under 18 Using Data From the 2010 Census.; 2011. https://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/AECF-ChangingChildPopulation-2011-Full.pdf. Accessed December 8, 2018.
3. Intensive Training and Sports Specialization in Young Athletes. Pediatrics. 2000;106(1):154 LP-157.
4. Jayanthi NA, Holt Jr DB, LaBella CR, Dugas LR. Socioeconomic Factors for Sports Specialization and Injury in Youth Athletes. Sports Health. 2018;10(4).
5. Bell DR, Post EG, Trigsted SM, Hetzel S, Mcguine TA, Brooks MA. Prevalence of Sport Specialization in High School Athletics A 1-Year Observational Study.
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