Caution...
Don’t Let Your Young Athlete Return to Their Sport Too Early Following Injury
WRITTEN BY
DR. ALISON SYNAKOWSKI, DPT
Dr. Alison Synakowski, DPT has been practicing physical therapy for over 12 years in the Capital Region. She practices out of a unique practice, Suarez Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy with locations in both Latham and Saratoga. She holds her Orthopedic Specialty (OCS) in PT and has a background in Athletic Training and Strength and Conditioning. She has a strong passion for injury prevention and improving the quality of healthcare.
Children, young adults, high school athletes, and college athletes are more often returned to sports much, much too early following injury. At times, it is gut wrenching how early some are returning or more so, the lack of testing, discussion, education, and preparation for return to playing a sport. More often than I’d like to admit, I see a kid following a second, or third injury — sometimes the injury is to the same body part, other times to a different one (which we tend to think is independent of the first one which is usually not true). I’ll give an example from years ago, although I see this almost every month. A 14-year-old breaks his tibia (lower leg). He is in a cast for 6 weeks, nonweight bearing to allow the fracture to heal. Upon return to get the cast off, he is x-rayed and told the bone has healed beautifully. What happens after the bone has healed is extremely important, the body needs to recover, build strength, and build back better. Confidence needs to improve to not only enhance performance, but to reduce the likelihood of future injuries.
26 | SARATOGA FAMILY | FALL 2021
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