Teen Athletes Suffer From Overuse Injuries

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It is common knowledge in medicine that children are not little adults and that they often need to be treated very differently than the way they will be treated when they are older. Everything from the way they metabolize certain medications to the way certain illnesses present themselves can be different.

But doctors who treat high school athletes and deal with their injuries are now beginning to recommend exercise programs that are not that much unlike exercise programs for older adults who are more prone to injury.

More and more young athletes who switch from season to season, going from sport to sport are being asked by adults to push harder and harder for their teams and a growing number of kids are playing certain sports all year long without breaks. The result is overuse injuries that need rehab and treatments not unlike their adult counterparts.