There’s an interesting article on overuse injuries in young athletes in the Strength and Conditioning Journal this month. The author, James Johnson, has done an excellent job of putting into words a problem I see every day. Since most of you don’t have access to it, I thought I’d give you a few highlights of Dr. Johnson's research on what is an alarming increase in injuries among young athletes. 
Competitive seasons last longer and many athletes practice all year for one sport.
Cuts in school physical education has led parents to create homegrown programs for their children. Unfortunately, coaches in these programs sometimes have minimal training. Certification isn't always required. So we are placing our most vulnerable athletes with the least trained coaches.
Overuse injuries are the most common. They are typically caused by repetitive submaximal loading, which occurs with activities such as throwing, swimming, or running.
Children are especially susceptible to overuse injuries because they are still growing.
Prevention is the key. Use proper training methods and allow time for recovery. Always use an appropriate warm up. Vary practice patterns to avoid overuse. Measure progression and make sure it is a gradual progression.
I couldn’t agree more with this article – too many children are getting overuse injuries. At SVMC, we're seeing more and more kids with sore shoulders, sore knees, sore backs, etc.
There are many factors here, not just overtraining. Some of these kids are deconditioned (too many video games), or their injuries are related to motivation, but overtraining is often involved.
Don’t get me wrong, I think sports programs are great for kids, but they need to be done right. Coaches and parents have the best intentions, but these do not mean much if the training is wrong.
If you want to read the article in full, stop by SVMC's Health Sciences Library. Our librarian Gary Strubel will be glad to help you find a copy to read. You call the library at 802-447-5120. You can find the article in Strength and Conditioning Journal, Vol 30, Number 2, April 2008.
There are a couple of golden rules for sports – don’t strike out, don’t fumble, and make your foul shots!!!
You’d think Memphis, at their level, would know this, but it cost them a national championship. Not a bad March Madness, all in all. A bit too many blowouts, but there were also some really classic games. Now it’s on to baseball season and football is only months away.
So it’s been awhile, but I’ve been busy!! Between the NFL combined with March Madness, and, oh yeah, work, I have been somewhat lax on my blog. Not to worry, spring is coming, and it’s getting to be time to start that outdoor training again. If you have had a relatively inactive or limited winter, do not just jump into the same outdoor training program you finished with last year. You may have stayed in shape over the winter, but remember you will need to adjust to a new routine. So start gradually and work up to it.
Did you know this is the first time in history that the four Number 1 seeds have advanced to the final four in the Big Dance. All in all, I have been somewhat disappointed by the tournament. There were a few really great games, such as the heartbreaking Davidson loss to Kansas or the WVU/Xavier game. But for every great game there seems to have been a clunker, such as that unwatchable Texas/Memphis game that I forced myself to watch. Hopefully, final four weekend will be great. I have UCLA winning it all in most of my brackets, because of their defense. We’ll see.
Wow, it's been a while since I posted. Sorry about that. We've been busy in the department these past few weeks.
This time of year marks the beginning of practices and tryouts for fall sports. Along with that come a whole lot of aches and pains, especially if you are not prepared. As always, prevention through preparation is the key, but for those still get hurt, here are a few suggestions.
General muscle soreness: This time of year, we tend to see a lot of quad and hamstring pulls. That muscle is not ready to do this stuff! Treat it right by stretching and warming up prior to activity, keep it warm during activity, and stretch/ice after activity.
Anterior knee pain: pain around the kneecap. This seems to be most common in girls, but boys do occasionally report this pain. It is often caused by a problem in the way the kneecap moves — flexibility or strength deficits can be factors. Ice the knee after practice and focus on stretching the lower extremities.
Shin splints: a painful inflammation which has a variety of causes — deconditioning, poor or worn footwear, running on hard or uneven surfaces or your style of running. This is one of the toughest conditions to deal with — the best way to deal with shin splints is to limit the activity which is causing them and cross train with other activities.
Some of these conditions will be serious enough to keep you out of the game; some will not. If you are limited during practice, talk to your coach, trainer, or doctor for the best course of action.
School’s over and summer vacation is here. What are you going to do? After all, practice for that fall sport is a mere 8 weeks away. Time to sit back, relax, get a summer job, make some money, and train. That’s right, I said TRAIN. 
This is pre-season, and you have to get ready to go. If you don’t, long about August 15, you may be coming to see me with some kind of overuse injury. If I had a dime for every case of shin splints, hip flexor strains, hamstring pulls, and knee pain I see at the beginning of the fall season, I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog, because I would be independently wealthy.
So what do you need to do? If your coach has given you a summer program, follow it. If your coach has not given you a summer program, ask. From a strength and conditioning standpoint, you need to work on speed, agility, and speed endurance in the offseason, not to mention the strength training requirements. Everyone knows what speed and agility are, but what is speed endurance? Put simply, speed endurance is what gives you the ability to beat your opponent at the end of the game – it is the conditioning of the anaerobic energy system which gives you that extra “spurt” when everyone else on the field is sucking wind.
You will not get speed endurance by running 5 miles a day – all that does is train you to run 5 miles per day. You will get speed endurance by pushing yourself to the limit through careful interval training. Speed endurance should only be trained 1 – 2 days per week – it is very stressful on the system. Of all the things I train, my athletes universally say that speed endurance training is the hardest thing I make them do. However, the pain you go through now will payoff next fall – guarantee it. If you have questions, do your research or contact me. If you want to be the best conditioned athlete on the field this fall, you need to start now.