Why kids need a break from sports

Sports surgeon Charles Busch-Joseph - a sports medicine physician and team doctor for the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox - has warned: early specialisation, where a child trains in one sport all year round, increases the risk of injury and emotional burnout. He said it is important for children in junior high and high school to "take a load off" regularly and not turn sports into a 12-month marathon quoted MedicalXpress.

Why the problem has become massive

As the expert explains, since the late 1990s, children's sport in many countries has shifted from a "play for participation" format to a club model, where there is more pressure on results, skills and competition. Because of this, children are increasingly abandoning seasonal changes of activity and choosing one sport for the whole year - with minimal recovery.

What injuries are most common

According to the surgeon's observations, "overload" injuries - when the same movement is repeated over and over again - are on the rise with year-round training:

• "Little League elbow" in young baseball players: repeated throwing overloads the ligaments and tendons of the elbow, resulting in pain, restricted movement, and sometimes "jamming". In severe cases, serious consequences up to deformities are possible.

• "Little League Shoulder" (found in baseball players, tennis players, gymnasts): as long as the growth zones are not closed, repetitive overhead movements can traumatise the growth structures and cause long-term problems.

• ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears: the injury is common in sports with jumping, sudden stops and changes of direction - especially football and basketball. The doctor notes that such tears are more common in girls.

Burnout: sport is no longer a "childhood"

Separately, the specialist emphasises that emotional burnout can be no less of a threat than injuries. When training and competitions go on without pauses, sport starts to feel like a duty and a job.

He gives an example: some high school girls refuse to play for the school team, considering the club level "more serious", but with it they lose the social part of sport - the team experience, school ties and "the joy of the game".

The minimum "pause" a doctor recommends

According to Bush-Joseph, specialising in one sport becomes more acceptable closer to high school, but until the age of 14-15 it is important for a child to have at least a three-month period a year where they are doing something else (another sport/activity) rather than their 'main' sport.

Parents' role: where to set boundaries

The doctor is blunt: it is the parents' job to control the load, even if the child is highly motivated. It is important to maintain interest, but not at the cost of health. The point is to help the child remain versatile, have alternatives and not "burn out" by adolescence.

Important: this is informational material, not medical advice. In case of pain, chronic fatigue or suspected injury, it is better to consult a sports medicine doctor.