This week’s Ask the Docs answers are provided by Dr. Michael C. Ciccotti Jr., Sports Medicine Surgeon at Rothman Orthopaedics, Official Orthopedic Partner of All-Star Sports Academy! Remember, if you need quick access to a Rothman Physician, be sure to utilize their Fast Scheduler program!
Question: “I know there is a stigma around only playing one sport, but my daughter only wants to play one sport – softball. She is 15 now, and has played other sports growing up, but she no longer has interest in those other sports and only wants to train to get better at softball. Should she still play other sports just to avoid injury, or what other things can she do to avoid overuse injuries from only focusing on one sport?” – Kimberly (Jenkintown, PA)
Answer:
Kimberly, thank you for the question – I think it’s a common and important one. The concern with playing one sport, or what we often call “sport specialization”, has to do with a growing amount of research indicating that overtraining in a single sport can significantly increase a young athlete’s risk for injury, particularly chronic overuse injury. I don’t now that the answer is necessarily to force a young athlete to play other sports where they don’t have interest or passion. I think rather it’s worth having a conversation with the athlete acknowledging and supporting their desire to focus on one sport but how to do that in a healthy way.
