A week does not go by that a morning or evening newscast does not delve deep into the epidemic of childhood obesity. They outline the issue at hand, interview a pediatrician, and dish out a 5-point plan how you and your family can get lean and stay in shape together.

Seldom do we hear the reports of the opposite side of the spectrum, which is equally as damaging to our kids – overuse injuries. This can lead to stress fractures, early onset of inflammation disorders (tendonitis, bursitis, etc.), and even growth plate issues. Dr. Eric Small, who has a family sports-medicine practice in Westchester County, in a recent article, defined how excessive activity has been cast off as the norm for many of today’s athletes. In the article, Dr. Small states, “It’s not enough that they play on a school team, two travel teams and go to four camps for their sport in the summer, they have private instructors that they see twice a week. Then their parents get them out to practice in the backyard at night.” Quite simply, the volume of training at that point has far surpassed their bodies’ abilities to withstand it.

I see two issues affecting families that may be at the core of this problem. First, and easiest to identify, are the families that have their kids in too many sports/activities mainly to keep up with the Jones’. The only problem with that thinking is that the Jones’ packed up and moved to Florida in the mid 90’s, so what’s the excuse now? Secondly, are parents who push their athletes to extremes chasing a dream of college scholarships or professional sports. With this second category, parents will enroll their athletes in a sport year round, or encourage them to play a sport, leaving the athlete no time off for recovery. This often results in the overuse injuries that were previously described and the lament of many physicians.

The developing athlete needs to play Hacky Sac, needs to climb on monkey bars and in trees, needs to spend time on house-hold chores and yard work, play stick ball, Frisbee, Nerf football, and even freeze tag and boogie board. It’s great for their bodies, for their bodies’ development, and for that development to be balanced. Often times, I am asked to work with an athlete who has only played their sport from a very early age. Asking them to stand on one leg and touch the floor five times without losing their balance is often met with the same agonizing realization – that they can’t.

Asking a parent to consider having their athlete rest and recover by not actively playing in their sport is often met with loud opposition. This can be a period of time where great gains in their athletic development can be achieved. Dan approaches Trinity Biomechanics and even his classes at Academy For Human Performance with this understanding in mind. Taking the approach that their athleticism is also a skill, this enforces the philosophy that athletes can be working in other ways to enhance their performance while actively resting from their sport.

Greg Brittenham, Assistant Coach/Player Development for the NY Knicks and Program Consultant for Academy For Human Performance, explains his views on this situation. He states, “Many athletes mistakenly increase the workload without allowing for adequate recovery. Athletes must listen to their bodies. When they are tired, they should rest. Remember, physical adaptation to stress occurs during recovery. So, frequency plays an important role in determining the length of recovery and ultimately, the potential for adaptation.”

Therefore, give your athlete the opportunity to improve their level of play for whatever sport they play by making sure that they have periods of time that they can recover from the stress and physical demands that come with playing their sports. Make sure that they rest, eat, and recover and save them from the next epidemic on the horizon – a lifetime of orthopedic surgeries.