Youth Sports Injuries: From Prevalence to Prevention

Background/Objectives: Patellar instability in adolescents is a significant cause of short- and long-term morbidity and disability. Traditionally, patients with first-time patellar dislocation are managed nonoperatively, although most studies are not focusing on the adolescent athletic population. The primary objective of the current study was to compare patient-reported outcomes and complications in adolescent athletes who underwent surgery either after the first patellar dislocation or after the recurrence of the dislocation with a minimum postoperative follow-up of 48 months (48–75 months). Methods: A total of 39 adolescent athletes who underwent medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction (Group A, after the first dislocation, and Group B, recurrent patella dislocation) were included in this study. In all the patients, the same MPFL reconstruction technique was applied using a semitendinosus autograft. The graft was fixed on the patella using a transverse tunnel and adjustable loop button fixation and, in the femur, using a tunnel and absorbable screw fixation. The tunnel was drilled obliquely to prevent penetration of the distal femoral physis. The preoperative and postoperative clinical and functional evaluations of the patients were conducted via the visual analog scale (VAS), the Lysholm Knee Scoring System, the Kujala Anterior Knee Pain Scale, and the Pediatric International Knee Documentation Committee (Pedi-IKDC), and the return to sports score was assessed via the Tegner Activity Scale (TAS). Results: At the latest follow-up, both groups demonstrated significant improvement in the Lysholm scores, with Group A achieving a mean of 92.57 ± 6.21 and Group B achieving a mean of 90.53 ± 8.21 (p = 0.062). Postoperatively, Group A achieved a mean Kujala score of 94.21 ± 9.23, whereas Group B reached 92.76 ± 12.39, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.08). The Pedi-IKDC score improved postoperatively in both groups. In Group A, it increased from 67.98 ± 12.29 to 93.65 ± 4.1, and in Group B, from 56.21 ± 13.6 to 91.67 ± 6.21 (p = 0.067). The preoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score for pain was significantly lower in Group A (3.1 ± 1.13) than in Group B (4.2 ± 3.01, p < 0.01). At the latest follow-up, the VAS scores improved in both groups, with Group A reporting a mean score of 0.47 ± 1.01 and Group B 0.97 ± 1.32 (p = 0.083). The Tegner activity scores were similar between the groups preoperatively, with Group A at 7.72 ± 1.65 and Group B at 7.45 ± 2.09 (p = 0.076). Postoperatively, Group A had a mean score of 7.28 ± 2.15, whereas Group B had a mean score of 6.79 ± 3.70 (p = 0.065). The mean time to return to sports was significantly shorter in Group A (5.1 ± 1.3 months) than in Group B (7.6 ± 2.1 months) (p < 0.01). Overall, 84.61% of the patients returned to their previous activity level. Specifically, 95.2% (20/21) of patients in Group A achieved this outcome, whereas 72.22% (13/18) achieved it in Group B. Patient satisfaction was generally high, with 76% (16/21) of patients in Group A reporting being satisfied or very satisfied, compared with 77% (14/18) in Group B. Conclusions: MPFL reconstruction is a safe and effective procedure for both acute and recurrent patellar dislocation in adolescent athletes. While patients who underwent acute reconstruction returned to sport more quickly and showed higher absolute postoperative scores, the greatest overall improvement from preoperative to final follow-up was observed in those treated for recurrent instability. Both surgical approaches demonstrated high satisfaction rates and minimal complications, supporting MPFL reconstruction as a reliable option in both acute and recurrent cases. Full article

Background: Field hockey is a popular sport, globally. Players repeatedly perform a combination of forward flexion and rotational movements, predisposing them to pain/injury. This study aimed to determine the 3-month period prevalence and incidence (number of new cases) of low back pain (LBP) in male adolescent field hockey players, its characteristics and association with selected risk factors, and treatment approaches. Methods: A questionnaire-based study was administered to 112 male adolescent players, and included sections on demographics, injury characteristics and professional care sought. Results: Sixty-eight questionnaires were completed (67% participation rate); period prevalence of LBP was 63.2% (35.0%: at the beginning of the season, 32.4%: at mid-season, 22.1%: at end-season); incidence was 38.2%. The most common location for LBP was the middle to low back region (39.5%); the most common duration of pain was a few hours (32.6%). Most participants (79.1%) did not classify their pain as a disability; only 44.2% of participants received medical treatment. Conclusions: Despite focusing on a specific group of adolescents, this study revealed a comparable, yet slightly elevated, prevalence of LBP compared to earlier research predominantly involving female populations. Consequently, we recommend the development, implementation, and rigorous evaluation of targeted strategies for the prevention and management of LBP within the sport of field hockey. Full article

Background/Objectives: In developed countries, an increasing number of children are participating in sports activities. However, according to current evidence, early sport specialization and overtraining are associated with an increased risk of injuries in youth athletes. Despite the prevailing practice of early sports specialization, there is a paucity of publications summarizing the influence of overtraining on injuries in youth athletes. As a result, the objective of this study was to conduct a review of publications investigating the influence of overtraining on injury prevalence in sport-active children aged between 7 and 14 years. Methods: The review included publications from January 2015 to March 2025 searched via PubMed, Science-Direct, and Scopus. Results: This review examined five publications, across which in three papers, the authors analyzed the influence of training load on the incidence of injuries during a certain period. In one study, the authors retrospectively analyzed whether there is a relationship between training frequency during skeletal growth and femoral neck deformity in adults. The other study was a case report of reactive osteochondromatous lesions of the femoral neck due to youth athlete training. In four publications, the authors reported the negative effects, and in one, no effect of training load on youth athletes. Conclusions: The current evidence suggests a potential association between high training load and elevated injury risk in young athletic populations. Nonetheless, inconsistencies across studies indicate that this relationship is likely multifactorial. Full article

The increasing discussions regarding the research-to-practice gap in sport injury prevention have led to a growing focus on the significance of context in injury prevention programs. A context-driven injury prevention program is advantageous to address and enhance injury prevention efforts in specific populations. Considering the prevalent concern for overuse injuries among overhead youth athletes, and the developmental and contextual factors unique to this population, this review introduces the OverHead Youth Athlete (OH-YA) overuse injury prevention process. Tailored to address the challenges of working with overhead youth athletes, the context-specific four-step framework includes the following: (1) development of a context-specific instrument with strong sample representation, (2) determination of the context-specific injury burden magnitude and associated factors, (3) development of a context-specific intervention with end-users, and (4) evaluation of the context-specific intervention. This framework would likely help maximize the use of typically limited resources in youth sports. Using shoulder overuse injuries among overhead youth athletes as a case study, the OH-YA overuse injury prevention process provides an enhanced approach to context-driven overuse injury prevention while illustrating the importance and integration of context to minimize the “research-to-practice” gap. Full article