Overuse Injuries in Youth Sports: Legal and Social Responsibility

Abstract

Youth sports-related injuries represent a major public health challenge, and overuse injuries, which result from repetitive microtrauma and insufficient rest, are a particular and growing concern. Overuse injuries are increasingly prevalent within youth sports, can lead to lifelong disabilities, and are almost entirely preventable. We explore the question of whether parents, who have been shown to significantly influence their children’s sports experiences and behaviors, can be held responsible for overuse injuries. We also discuss the role of other actors, including medical practitioners and coaches, and the duties that they may have to prevent such injuries to child athletes. We argue that, in many cases, contributions to overuse injuries are the result of non-culpable ignorance, and that a better way to help prevent overuse injuries may be to enact policies that educate parents, as well as schools, coaches, and organizations, about overuse injuries.

Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine Position Paper: The Clinician’s Role in Addressing and Preventing Maltreatment in Sport—10-year Anniversary

“…In line with this, clinicians should be knowledgeable of the many negative physical, psychosocial, and behavioral consequences (see Appendix C, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JSM/A362), that have been correlated with athlete maltreatment, such as mental health issues, increased stress and avoidance of sport, injuries, tarnished relationships, decreased motivation, and drop out. 7,22,[51][52][53][54][55] Moreover, clinical presentations of maltreatment may develop gradually and manifest in the short or long term following these events, leading to them being subsequently reported and disclosed retrospectively. 55,56 Although discussed in relation to sport, it should be noted that clinical presentations could originate from a variety of situations athletes may experience in contexts outside of sport, such as through their family or social life.…”

Survey Of Sports Injuries In Young Football Athletes In Football Competitions

“…Young athletes generally when experiencing an injury event are feeling great pain in the sport they do (Hausken-Sutter et al, 2021). Young athletes who have suffered injuries are traumatized when they resume their sports activities, this is when reviewed at the young athlete feels the fear of experiencing pain that has been suffered so the fear of their future in the sport (Friesen et al, 2018;Olsen et al, 2005).…”

Impacting and being impacted by overuse injuries: an ethnodrama of parents’ experiences

“…While coaches are typically a key influence in the lives of young competitive athletes, the other adult figure with a strong influence on youth athletes' experience in sport is the one of parents (e.g., Cavallerio, Kimpton, and Knight 2020;Friesen, Saul, Kearns, Bachynski, and Caplan 2018;Smits, Jacobs, and Knoppers 2016). Despite an increased focus on the role of parents in sport (see Knight, Berrow, and Harwood 2017, for a review), only a dearth of research examined the experiences of parents when their child is injured.…”