Overuse Injuries in High School Athletes

Purpose. To evaluate relationships between seasonal patterns of athletic participation and overuse injuries in high school athletes. Methods. Self-reported survey of sports played and injuries sustained during the preceding 12 months administered anonymously to 9th-12th graders in school. Results. Females suffered more overuse injuries than males. Overuse injuries increased slightly with age and with seasons of sports played per calendar year. Students who played sports all year long had 42% increased risk of overuse injury compared to those who played fewer than 4 seasons. Conclusions. Reducing the number of sport seasons played by high school athletes could decrease their rate of overuse injuries, with the greatest gains potentially achieved by taking at least one season off from sports entirely each calendar year.