TULSA - How much is too much when it comes to young athletes?
School districts across the area report hundreds of injuries involving student athletes each year and doctors say the problem is a growing trend.
So what can be done to protect your child?
At D-BAT, a new training facility in east Tulsa, young athletes are taught proper form with one goal in mind.
"We begin at the lowest level, teach them how to play catch, teach them how to throw the ball." said manager Danny Bean. "All of our ball players come in with the same idea, everyone wants to make it to the next level."
But for some that next level comes at a price.
"I usually try to play through it until it gets enough I can't play." explained 16-year-old Camden Selvidge of the pain he endures while playing sports.
Each year in the United States, more than 1 million high school students are injured playing sports; the most common type of injury is overuse.
"Basically it's doing too much too soon." said Dr. Jeff Fox, an orthopedic surgeon in Tulsa. He says young athletes pushing their bodies to the limit is a national problem and something he sees everyday.
"It's very hard to tell a 16-year-old they will have arthritis at a younger age and to change behaviors, they (students) focus on the moment." said Dr. Fox.
And at the moment, all Camden Selvidge can think about is off-season football and competitive basketball, despite a pars defect in his back.
"I broke it in 3rd grade and it's never healed." said Camden.
"His pars didn't ever close and once those bones don't close together they'll never close together so that's his injury that he will live with." explained Camden's mom, Gail Selvidge.
According to recent studies, more and more students are living with the pain and choosing to play, some call it motivation, others call it pressure.
"Bottomline comes down to the almighty dollar. If I can get a scholarship I won't have student loans, if I can be a little better in college maybe I can sign that pro contract." explained Steve Friebus, Head Athletic Trainer for Bixby Public Schools.
Studies show an estimated 5% of student athletes go on to play division one sports and less than 1% reach the professional level.
When it comes to injuries, experts say one of the biggest mistakes student athletes make is playing the same sport year round with no breaks.
"You think basketball season is just one season, but the competitive AAU season starts right after the high school season is over," said Bixby Senior Jacob Parker.
"There are times that you think, OK let's scale this back a little bit, let's take a few days off." said Jacob's mom, Vonnette Parker.
Those few days turned into an entire season when Jacob learned an overuse injury to his knee would require surgery.
"Right after I learned I wouldn't be able to play my sophomore year I was devastated. Just watching from the sideline, I wanted to be in there because I knew I could make a difference," said Jacob.
What Jacob didn't realize is that he was already making a difference to his body. By sitting out the recommended time, his knee was able to heal completely and now two years after his surgery, he is ready to hit the court and fulfill a childhood dream.
"Next year I'm going down to Steven F. Austin to play Division One basketball."
But not everyone follows doctors orders.
While there are rules in place to make sure student athletes take the time off needed for a concussion, there are currently no rules in Oklahoma regulating other student injuries. It's up to players, coaches and parents to make those tough decisions.
"As parents, how you modify it is you don't let them play on two teams. You realize they don't have to practice it everyday and it's ok to have a few months off where you're doing something else." said Dr. Fox.
Some good rules of thumb for keeping training in line include:
- Limit your child to a single sport or team activity per season, and the training schedule to no more than five days per week.
- Be mindful of the weather during summer and winter training seasons. Insist that your child make changes to the schedule if the weather is extreme.
- Encourage your child to vary training exercises from day to day, if possible.
Parents should be alert to these common symptoms of overuse injury:
- Pain in the muscle, tendon or bone after practice or a game
- Pain while playing or during practice
- Pain during play that affects the child's ability to perform
- Constant or chronic pain, even when not playing
Some rules other states have enacted to protect young athletes:
In Texas, officials have limited the number of games a student athlete can play per week. There is NOTHING like this in Oklahoma. Arkansas, Arizona and California have rules in place prohibiting students from competing on multiple teams in the same sport at the same time. Oklahoma does NOT regulate this.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness recommends limiting one sporting activity
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