Pushing Too Hard? Preventing Injuries in Young Athletes

By Kelsea Offner

Photo Credit: Photobucket 

More than 3.5 million middle and high school student athletes are treated for sports injuries each year, with nearly 50% occurring to due overuse (Mandel, 2013). Far too often young athletes have to give up one of the things they love the most because they have exerted their bodies at a young age. Injuries and physical fatigue has become an increasing problem with athletes, young and seasoned. The demand for performance forces the athletes to push through the times when their bodies have told them to stop and rest. After injuries, athletes are pressured to return to play, whether they are actually 100% or not, especially if they are a key player on the team. Working with these athletes can be extremely difficult, as they may be confused about what their options are and how best to pursue so they may continue to play.

One such athlete is Sierra Amundson, a junior high-school softball pitcher who overcame what could have been a career-ending injury (Rohrbach, 2014). Just as her career was beginning, Amundson was faced with the decision to undergo Tommy John surgery, a surgery common to American pitchers used to reconstruct the medial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), on her right elbow and take a year off for the rehabilitation (Erickson, et al., 2014). The determined young pitcher, however, knew she would not be able to sit out a full year and watch her teammates play without her, and so she worked hard to switch to pitching as a lefty (Rohrbach, 2014). As Amundson worked to increase her strength and accuracy as a newly formed left-handed pitcher, she continued to rehab her dominant elbow, allowing her ligaments to rest and heal so she can now utilize both arms to pitch, though she has limited pitches with her right arm (Rohrbach, 2014).

This is just one of the many stories of athletes overcoming major obstacles in order to be able to play the sport they love. However, should athletes as young as Amundson need to worry about switching pitching arms or going through rehabilitation for a year and missing out on playing time? Today, young athletes are pushed to perform at their peaks for as long as possible in the hopes of moving to the next level of play. Private lessons are being provided on top of the athlete’s normal practices, causing them to exert their bodies more quickly and injure themselves. It is important for sport psychology consultants to work with the athletes, help them find their voices, and help them learn how to stand up for themselves when their bodies are not 100%. It is my suggestion that consultants working with young athletes become familiar with programs and campaigns such as STOP Sports Injuries to help prevent unnecessary injuries in young athletes (Mandel, 2013). Acting as an advocate for your athletes and educating them on being aware of their bodies and  to not be afraid to acknowledge when they need to rest can be an important step in preventing avoidable injuries.

References

Erikson, B., Gupta, A., Harris, J., Bush-Joseph, C., Bach, B., Abrams, G., San Juan, A., Cole, B., and Romeo, A. (2013). Rate of return to pitching and performance after Tommy John surgery in Major League Baseball pitchers. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(3), 536-543. doi: 10.1177:0363546513510890

Mandel, K. (2013). STOP SPORTS injuries. American Fitness, 31(3), 40-41. 

Rohrbach, B. (2014, April 4). Softball player switches pitching hands rather than undergoing Tommy John surgery. Yahoo Sports Prep Rally. Retrieved from: https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/softball-player-switches-pitching-hands-rather-than-undergoing-tommy-john-surgery-154625117.html?soc_src=copy

Young Athletes and Parental Involvement

By Alexandra Tapak

 

            Many of you who may be reading this blog have been an athlete or have an athlete of your own at home. There is a fine line drawn in the sand between a parent who is motivational and supportive and one whose presence adds anxiety and pressure to the young athlete’s performance. It is especially prevalent in Western cultures that parents maintain high levels of involvement in their children’s sport experience (Lauer, Gould, Roman, & Pierce, 2010).

            Bremer (2012) pointed out the importance of exploring the athletes’ perception of parental involvement, parental pressure, parental support, family tensions, and resource allocation. The athletes’ perception is everything because it is their interpretation of behavior that influences performance. Every young athlete is unique and requires individual consideration. It is important to understand young athletes’ perceptions so as a parent you can best support them and maintain solid relationships within the family.

            Previous researchers suggested that parents who create an environment in which mastery is stressed have healthier, more supportive relationships with their athletes than those who create an environment that stresses an ego orientation (O’Rourke, Smith, & Smoll, 2011). A mastery environment is one which focuses on elements of performance that are within the control of the athlete and less on the elements that are outside the child’s control. For example, a parent can focus more on effort and implementation of new skills rather than on winning and outperforming opponents (O’Rourke, Smith, & Smoll, 2011).

            By no means is this blog aiming to tell parents how to parent or suggest that the role of sport psychology consultants is to tell parents how to raise children. Sports psychology consultants do, however, work to create and foster environments for athletes young and old to excel.

            Sport psychology consultants find that it is important to provide education to not only the athletes with whom we work but also with parents. Parental pressure is not just a name for a feeling, but rather a complex process that encompasses more than what is apparent at surface level (O’Rourke, Smith, & Smoll, 2011). Important topics to be discussed may include the appropriate level of involvement of a parent, what is a healthy relationship, how healthy relationships are created and supported. To find a certified sport psychology consultant in your area contact the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.

 

References

 

Lauer, L., Gould, D., Roman, N., & Pierce, M. (2010). How parents influence junior tennis players' development: Qualitative narratives. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 4(1), 69-92. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.adler.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.adler.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=48444142&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Lindstrom Bremer, K. (2012). Parental involvement, pressure, and support in youth sport: A narrative literature review. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 4(3), 235-248. doi:10.1111/j.1756-2589.2012.00129.x

O’Rourke, D. J., Smith, R. E., Smoll, F. L., & Cumming, S. P. (2011). Trait anxiety in young athletes as a function of parental pressure and motivational climate: Is parental pressure always harmful? Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 23(4), 398-412. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.adler.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.adler.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=66788270&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Tackling Athlete Doping

By Kelsey Offner

(Edited by Alexandra Tapak)

            “Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd!” The sound of America’s past time can be heard over televisions and radios everywhere with the beginning of the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. There is electricity in the air as people wait outside the gates of ballparks in anticipation of Opening Day and the chance to watch their favorite teams and players take the field. With the prospect of the new season, many may have forgotten the end of 2013 season Biogenesis debacle in which 14 MLB players, including New York Yankee’s Alex Rodriguez, were suspended for performance-enhancing drug use (Nightengale, 2014). The MLB and MLB Players Association have moved to toughen up anti-doping policies for the 2014 season, announcing longer suspensions for violators and other reforms (Nightengale, 2014). Not only will drug penalties be increased, but the use of Carbon Isotope Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), with at least one sample from every player, will also be added in the attempt to eradicate performance-enhancing drugs (Nightengale, 2014). Players will also be required to provide two urine samples during the season, and the MLB will be conducting 400 random blood collections to detect human growth hormone (Nightengale, 2014).

            The use of performance-enhancing drugs has become a hot topic for many sports professionals and fans. Athletes are constantly put on a pedestal by society and expected to perform at their highest capabilities, causing the pressure to improve through illegal methods to be very strong (Shokri, 2013). Performance-enhancing drugs have been around for years, and it wasn’t until 1986 that The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned such substances (Shokri, 2013). In 1999, the IOC created the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an independent, private law organization that produces anti-doping codes in attempt to harmonize anti-doping regulations globally while ensuring athletes are treated equally by sports bodies and governments regarding anti-doping issues (Shokri, 2013). Since then, WADA has been working with leagues at all levels of competition to rid the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

            Any sport psychology consultant working with elite athletes can expect to work with athletes who at one point or another has, is, or is considering using performance-enhancing drugs. Whether working with a high school athlete or a professional athlete, as a professional it is one’s responsibility to educate that athlete about the effects such substances can have on his or her body, as well as encourage the athlete to educate themselves about the substances they are taking or are considering taking. Unfortunately, performance-enhancing drugs are all-too easy for athletes to acquire, and it is their choice to take those types of drugs. In order to effectively inform players, it is my recommendation that sport psychology professionals be informed about the league’s anti-doping policies and the penalties given for being caught using any performance-enhancing drugs. As a result, sport psychology professionals can develop informed presentations and strategies to help professional athletes gain a full understanding of the psychological, physical, and career consequences of using performance enhancing substances.

References

Nightengale,B. (2014, March 28). MLB toughens drug agreement provisions. USA Today Sports. Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/03/28/mlb-toughens-drug-agreement-provisions/7023401/

Shokri, N. (2013). Anti-doping regulation and WADA code. International Sports Law Review Pandektis, 10(1/2), 110-125. Retrieved from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.adler.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cc30668d-96a8-49f1-ad9f-8dc6c0d1163c%40sessionmgr4003&vid=9&hid=4214