Addressing Common Musculoskeletal Issues in Young Athletes
“Mom, My Knee Hurts.” If your son or daughter is involved in sports, you have undoubtedly heard these words at one time or another. But how do you know if your child’s complaint is serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor or a physical therapist? While many complaints may be transient such as soreness following a particularly intense practice if your child’s complaints are becoming more persistent or recurrent, it’s time to seek help. Often these recurrent pain complaints are the sign of an underlying musculoskeletal issue. Unless your child has suffered a sudden traumatic injury, most of these issues can be evaluated and addressed by a physical therapist. Physical therapists are uniquely qualified to diagnose and address musculoskeletal issues including muscular imbalances, weakness, tightness, and alignment issues both at the site of pain and in adjacent body areas. For example, that chronic recurrent knee pain may be the result of poor alignment at the foot and ankle. As your child lands on an unstable ankle this results in uneven forces acting on the knee. During the evaluation, your physical therapist will identify relevant musculoskeletal issues and then will initiate a custom training program to address them and to finally eliminate the pain once and for all.
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