According to New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Meyer, many of the injuries that are happening to kids today are because they’re doing too much and what they’re being asked to do – run faster, throw harder – is more than what their body can handle.
Most parents want their child to be involved in activities but how much is too much?
When you are young, there are ligaments and muscles and important structures found in the joints that have not yet fully developed. When you put too much stress on these areas, they can develop incorrectly.
So later in life, when kids should actually have the muscular strength to throw a ball farther or run faster, your New Orleans orthopedic surgeon finds that they are unable to because the base never formed correctly.
Many parents and coaches still support the theory that to get better at a sport you must drill that sport day in and day out. In other words, if you want to be a faster runner, just run more miles. This type of thinking is obsolete and is causing harm to the youth of this country.
Medical research proves that doing sports-specific strengthening and playing different sports – which will allow other muscles to develop – will make your child a stronger, better and faster athlete.
Having your child throw 100 pitches doesn’t necessarily make them a better pitcher. But allowing them to rest from the mound and do rotator cuff exercises and shoulder stabilization exercises will allow for them to develop a stronger pitching arm, which will then allow them to be a better pitcher.
It’s vitally important that parents make sure that their children are getting the correct balance in their lives.
If you have questions regarding your child’s sports routine, call the office of New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Meyer today to schedule a consultation.
The post New Orleans Orthopedic Surgeon: Kids and Sports – Too Much? first appeared on Orthopaedic Specialists of New Orleans.