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. 2014 Dec;58(4):377-83.

A case of early sports specialization in an adolescent athlete

Brad Ferguson  1 , Paula J Stern  2
Affiliations

A case of early sports specialization in an adolescent athlete

Brad Ferguson et al. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2014 Dec.

Abstract
in English, French

Early sport specialization (ESS) refers to intense year round training in a specific sport with the exclusion of other sports at a young age. This approach to training is heavily debated and there are claims both in support and against ESS. ESS is considered to be more common in the modern day youth athlete and could be a source of overuse injuries and burnout. This case describes a 16 year old elite level baseball pitcher who engaged in high volume, intense training at a young age which lead to several significant throwing related injuries. The case highlights the historical context of ESS, the potential risk and benefits as well as the evidence for its effectiveness. It is important for health care professionals to be informed on the topic of ESS in order to educate athletes, parents, coaches and organizations of the potential risks and benefits.

La spécialisation précoce dans un sport (SPS) se réfère à l’entraînement intensif toute au long de l’année dans un sport particulier à l’exclusion des autres formes de sport dès le jeune âge. Cette approche de l’entraînement est fortement débattue et la SPS a ses détracteurs tout comme ses défenseurs. La SPS est considérée comme plus fréquente chez les jeunes athlètes de nos jours et pourrait être une source d’épuisement et de blessures dues à un surentraînement. Ce cas décrit un lanceur de baseball de 16 ans au niveau provincial qui a suivi un entraînement intense à un jeune âge qui lui a causé plusieurs blessures importantes liées au lancement. Le cas met en lumière le contexte historique de la SPS, les risques et les avantages potentiels, ainsi que les preuves de son efficacité. Il est important que les professionnels de la santé soient renseignés au sujet de la SPS afin de sensibiliser les athlètes, parents, entraîneurs et organisations aux risques et avantages potentiels.

Keywords: adolescent; baseball; chiropractic; sport specialization; youth.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Typical aspects of early sport specialization
Figure 2
Figure 2
Claims for and against early sports specialization.–,,
Figure 3
Figure 3
Position Statements from various authorities on early sports specialization.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Summarizing the modifiable risk factors for injury in youth pitchers. –, –
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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