Common Injuries in Sporting Adolescents: What Parents and Young Athletes Should Know

Adolescence is an exciting time when young athletes push their limits, test their skills, and often fall in love with sport for life. However, it’s also a stage of rapid growth. As bones lengthen and muscles adapt, the body becomes more vulnerable to certain injuries that typically do not affect adults. For parents, coaches, and athletes, knowing the most common adolescent sports injuries can make all the difference in spotting problems early, preventing setbacks, and keeping sport enjoyable.

Understanding Adolescent Sports Injuries

In this section, we will explore the key factors contributing to sports injuries in adolescents. Understanding these factors can help in prevention and management.

The Role of Growth and Peak Height Velocity

One of the key risk factors for adolescent injury is peak height velocity (PHV). This is the period when children grow most rapidly, typically between ages 11–13 for girls and 13–15 for boys. During this time:

• Bones lengthen faster than muscles and tendons can adapt, creating tightness and imbalance.

• Growth plates and apophyses (where tendons attach) are weaker and more vulnerable.

• Young athletes may suddenly look taller, but their coordination, balance, and strength haven’t fully caught up.

  
  

This creates a perfect storm for overuse injuries, especially when combined with modern training demands.

School Sport is Becoming Faster and More Explosive

Today’s youth sport is very different from even a decade ago:

• Games are quicker: faster transitions, higher pressing, and more intense bursts of speed.

• Training loads are higher: school sport often overlaps with club commitments.

• Athletes specialise earlier: many focus on one sport year-round, reducing variety.

  
  

All of this means adolescents are exposed to higher-intensity movements such as sprinting, jumping, cutting, and tackling at younger ages. This is fantastic for performance development but also increases the need to look after young athletes with proper strength, recovery, and injury prevention strategies.

Growth Plate Injuries and Apophysitis

Growth plates (physes) are areas of developing cartilage near the ends of long bones. Because they are weaker than fully formed bone, they are a frequent site of injury in adolescents.

One specific type of growth plate injury is apophysitis — inflammation at an apophysis, where tendons attach to bone. During growth spurts and especially around PHV, these areas are particularly vulnerable.

Examples of Apophysitis in Adolescents

• Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease (knee): pain just below the kneecap, common in football and jumping sports.

• Sever’s Disease (heel): inflammation at the heel growth plate, typical in running and jumping sports.

• Hip/Pelvic Apophysitis: pain at the hip or pelvis where large muscle groups attach, often in sprinting or kicking athletes.

  
  

Why it matters: Apophysitis is often mistaken for a “muscle strain.” But it’s actually a growth plate problem. If not managed, it can lead to prolonged pain or even avulsion injuries.

Evidence:

• In a 10-year study of a German youth soccer academy, Sever’s disease was one of the most common injuries, with return to play averaging around 60 days (Rahlfs et al., 2022).

• A 2023 review found that conservative care for Sever's, including rest, heel lifts, and physiotherapy, is highly effective, with most young athletes returning to sport within 2–3 months (Nweke et al., 2023).

  
  

Pars Fracture (Spondylolysis)

• What it is: A stress fracture in a small section of vertebra (pars interarticularis), usually caused by repeated back extension and rotation.

• Sports at risk: Cricket (fast bowling), gymnastics, diving, skiing, tennis.

• Signs: Gradual low back pain, worse with arching or twisting. Will often have several episodes of pain.

• Management: Early diagnosis, activity modification, and progressive core strengthening.

  
  

Evidence:

• MRI is highly sensitive for detecting early pars stress reactions that CT can miss (Rush et al., 2015).

  
  

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries

• What it is: A tear or sprain of the ACL in the knee.

• Sports at risk: Football, skiing, basketball, rugby – especially sports with cutting, pivoting, or jumping.

• Signs: Sudden “pop,” swelling, and instability.

• Why it matters: ACL injuries in teenagers are rising, particularly in female athletes. Prevention programmes focusing on jump landing, balance, and lower limb strength reduce risk significantly.

  
  

Evidence:

• Female adolescent athletes have around 1.6× higher ACL injury risk than males, particularly in football, basketball, and lacrosse (Gornitzky et al., 2016).

• Neuromuscular training programmes (strength, plyometrics, landing mechanics) can cut ACL injury risk by ~50% (AAFP, 2018).

• Early return to sport increases re-injury risk: each extra month of delay before returning lowers the chance of a second ACL injury by ~17% (AAOS, 2024).

  
  

Perthes Disease

• What it is: A hip disorder where the blood supply to the femoral head (the “ball” of the hip joint) is reduced, causing the bone to weaken and change shape.

• Sports at risk: Not caused directly by sport, but pain often shows during activity.

• Signs: Limping, hip or knee pain, reduced hip movement.

• Management: Activity modification, physiotherapy to maintain hip range, and in some cases bracing or surgery.

  
  

Evidence:

• UK surveillance reports Perthes’ disease incidence at 2.48 per 100,000 children per year (Price et al., 2022).

• Long-term outcomes are best when hip motion is preserved and hip joint congruency is maintained during treatment (Perry et al., 2018).

  
  

How to Protect Young Athletes

To balance the demands of modern sport and the vulnerabilities of growth, it’s vital to:

• Track growth spurts: Monitor when children hit peak height velocity.

• Encourage variety: Avoid early single-sport specialisation.

• Prioritise warm-ups and movement prep.

• Build foundations: Strength, mobility, and balance should be part of every programme.

• Watch for red flags: Persistent pain, limping, or pain that doesn’t settle with rest.

• Support recovery: Good nutrition, hydration, and adequate sleep are non-negotiable.

  
  

The Importance of Injury Prevention

Injury prevention is crucial for young athletes. By implementing effective strategies, we can help them enjoy their sports while minimising the risk of injuries. This includes regular assessments, proper training techniques, and ensuring that they are physically prepared for the demands of their chosen sports.

Final Thoughts

Sport offers huge benefits for children and adolescents, but the combination of rapid growth, peak height velocity, and increasingly explosive school sport means we must take extra care. With early recognition, tailored management, and a focus on injury prevention, young athletes can stay safe, confident, and thrive in the sports they love.

At Summit Rehabilitation, we support young athletes to recover from injury and return to sport stronger, faster, and more resilient.

References

• Nweke, P., Marco-Lledó, J., García-Campos, J., Ruiz-Muñoz, M., Gijon-Nogueron, G., & Ramos-Petersen, L. (2023). Conservative management of Sever’s disease (calcaneal apophysitis): A comprehensive review of treatment efficacy. J Clin Med.

• Rahlfs, S., et al. (2022). Incidence of calcaneal apophysitis (Sever’s disease) and return-to-play in adolescent soccer players. J Orthop Surg Res.

• Maruszczak, K., et al. (2024). Lower Limb Osteochondrosis and Apophysitis in Young Athletes — A Comprehensive Review. Appl Sci, 14(24):11795.

• Widhe, T., & Sward, L. (2016). Apophyseal injuries in children’s and youth sports. Sports Med.

• Price, A., et al. (2022). Perthes’ disease: Epidemiology and two-year outcomes from a prospective UK cohort. Bone Joint J, 104-B(4), 460–467.

• Perry, D. C., et al. (2018). The treatment of Perthes’ disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Bone Joint J, 100-B(9), 1177–1184.

• Rush, J. W., et al. (2015). Use of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of pars interarticularis injuries in adolescents. Pediatr Orthop, 35(4), 390–395.

• Ozgur, B., et al. (2023). MRI prognostic factors for healing in adolescent lumbar spondylolysis. J Pediatr Orthop.

• Huang, W., et al. (2022). Percutaneous direct pars repair for adolescent athletes with spondylolysis. Neurosurg Focus, 52(3), E12.

• Gornitzky, A. L., et al. (2016). Sport- and sex-specific incidence of ACL tears in high school athletes. Am J Sports Med, 44(10), 2783–2788.

• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). (2018). Effectiveness of ACL injury prevention training programs. Am Fam Physician, 97(3), 177–183.

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). (2024). Younger age at primary ACL injury and early return to sport increases risk of secondary ACL injury in adolescents.

• Gokeler, A., et al. (2023). Return-to-sport rates and psychological readiness after pediatric and adolescent ACL reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc, 31, 1215–1226.