Youth Sport Specialization Effects on Lower Extremity Injuries: A Critically Appraised Topic

Clinical scenario: Youth sport specialization is a growing trend in the United States. This trend may be due to the popular belief that youth sport specialization may lead to opportunities such as college scholarships and becoming a professional athlete. While there is no exact definition of youth sport specialization, many researchers define youth sport specialization as year-round training in a single sport. There is a considerable amount of debate about the benefits and potential negative side effects of youth sport specialization, particularly regarding orthopedic injury rates. Athletic trainers work in a variety of settings including youth sports. Because of this, athletic trainers and sports medicine professionals should be aware of the outcomes of youth sport specialization so that they can ensure quality patient care, improve parent education, and implement injury prevention strategies. Lower extremity injuries are the most common sport-related injuries with the knee accounting for 66% of these cases. Knee injuries not only impose significant costs to patients but may lead to long-term health outcomes, loss of time spent at school, and lost opportunities to participate in sports. Clinical Question: Does youth sport specialization participation have an effect on lower extremity injury rates compared to non-specialized youth athletes? Summary of key findings: The majority of the research articles we have examined found that youth sports specialization leads to an increased risk for lower extremity injury. Clinical bottom line: Most researchers do not recommend sport specialization before the ages 14-16 years of age to minimize the risk of injury.