Youth Sport Specialization: Current Concepts and Clinical Guides.

The concept of youth sport specialization has evolved over the past decade, from a focus on the risk of overuse injury to a broader awareness of its effects on mental health, social well-being, quality of life, growth and maturation, sport performance, and long-term athletic success. This review article considers a recently revised definition of youth sport specialization, as well as guidelines and consensus statements from various sports medicine organizations, with practical applications for young athletes.

Relationship Between Running Biomechanics and Core Temperature Across a Competitive Road Race.

Background: Outdoor races introduce environmental stressors to runners, and core temperature changes may influence runners' movement patterns. This study assessed changes and determined relationships between sensor-derived running biomechanics and core temperature among runners across an 11.27-km road race.

Youth Athletes With Sever's Disease Exhibit Altered Achilles Tendon Ultrasound Characteristics: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Objectives: Calcaneal apophysitis (Sever's disease) is an overuse condition caused by repetitive traction stress to the calcaneal apophysis. Whether Achilles tendon morphology is altered in this young patient population remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to identify differences in Achilles tendon morphology between youth athletes diagnosed with calcaneal apophysitis and healthy controls.

Protocol and validity testing of femoroacetabular posterior translation with dynamic hip ultrasonography.

Objective: To describe femoroacetabular posterior translation (FAPT) using dynamic hip ultrasonography (DHUS), and to determine the inter- and intra-rater reliability of hip ultrasound measurements of FAPT.

Materials And Methods: The study design was a feasibility study of 13 healthy young adults (26 hips) using test-retest analysis. The data was collected prospectively over a 2-week time period.

Clinical assessment, treatment, and referral trends for adolescent runners seeking care at an injured runners' clinic.

Purpose: Over a 10-year time frame, this study aimed to evaluate diagnosis, treatment, and referral trends for adolescent runners seeking care for running-related injuries (RRIs) at a clinic that specializes in running medicine.

Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of 392 adolescent runners (2,326 encounters) who sought care for RRIs between the years 2011 and 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize clinical assessments, referrals, assistive devices, and medications prescribed or administered overall and by injury type.

Biomechanical changes identified during a marathon race among high-school aged runners.

Background: Despite the increasing popularity of endurance running competitions among adolescent runners, there is currently limited information regarding expected biomechanical changes across the duration of a long-distance running event, and the relationship between young runners' biomechanics and running performance. Wearable technology offers an ecological means to continuously assess runners' biomechanical data during outdoor running competitions.

Research Question: Do adolescent athletes adopt changes in sensor-derived biomechanics throughout a marathon race, and are there relationships between race performance and biomechanical features among young marathoners?

Methods: Fourteen high-school aged runners (9 M, 5 F; age: 16 ± 1 years, height: 170.

Adolescent and young adult hip and knee strength profiles relate to running gait biomechanics.

Objectives: Compare and assess relationships between strength and running biomechanics among healthy adolescents and young adult males and females.

Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Clinic.

Outpatient Runners Clinic Visit Trends and Injury Characteristics Among 392 Child and Adolescent Patients: A 10-year Chart Review.

Objective: To evaluate clinic visits and running-related injury (RRI) characteristics among child and adolescent runners seeking care at an outpatient clinic over a 10-year time frame.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Outpatient hospital-affiliated Injured Runners Clinic.

Running gait adaptations among adolescent runners with soft tissue impairments following lateral ankle sprains.

Background: Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) frequently lead to residual soft tissue impairments, often attributed to biomechanical dysfunction during movement.

Objective: To compare running biomechanics between adolescent runners with soft tissue pathologies following LAS (injured) and healthy runners (control) and between limbs.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Adolescent exercise-related lower leg pain musculotendinous characteristics.

Background: Exercise-related lower leg pain (ERLLP) is one of the most common injuries among adolescent runners; however, there is limited information available on lower extremity musculotendinous characteristics in relationship to injury. Ultrasound imaging has previously been used to evaluate musculotendinous structures among adults with chronic lower limb injuries. Similar measurement approaches may be adopted to assess young runners with ERLLP.

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to running-related lower limb injuries among adolescent runners.

The purpose of this study was to assess which combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to running-related injury (RRI)among adolescent cross-country, track, and long-distance runners. We conducted a retrospective study at a hospital-affiliated sports injury prevention centre of 130 adolescent runners (F: 62.1%, M: 37.

A Comparison of Factors Associated with Running-Related Injuries between Adult and Adolescent Runners.

Background: There are multiple personal and environmental factors that influence the risk of developing running-related injuries (RRIs). However, it is unclear how these key clinical factors differ between adult and adolescent runners.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare anthropometric, training, and self-reported outcomes among adult and adolescent runners with and without lower extremity musculoskeletal RRIs.

Adolescent Marathon Training: Prospective Evaluation of Musculotendinous Changes During a 6-Month Endurance Running Program.

Objectives: Assess changes in lower extremity musculotendinous thickness, tissue echogenicity, and muscle pennation angles among adolescent runners enrolled in a 6-month distance running program.

Methods: We conducted prospective evaluations of adolescent runners' lower extremity musculotendinous changes at three timepoints (baseline, 3 months, and 6 months) throughout a progressive marathon training program. Two experienced researchers used an established protocol to obtain short- and long-axis ultrasound images of the medial gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor hallicus, and Achilles and patellar tendons.

Biomechanical running gait assessments across prevalent adolescent musculoskeletal injuries.

Background: While there is substantial information available regarding expected biomechanical adaptations associated with adult running-related injuries, less is known about adolescent gait profiles that may influence injury development.

Research Questions: Which biomechanical profiles are associated with prevalent musculoskeletal lower extremity injuries among adolescent runners, and how do these profiles compare across injury types and body regions?

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 149 injured adolescents (110 F; 39 M) seen at a hospital-affiliated injured runner's clinic between the years 2016-2021. Biomechanical data were obtained from 2-dimensional video analyses and an instrumented treadmill system.

Running gait biomechanics in female runners with sacroiliac joint pain.

[Purpose] To identify running gait biomechanics associated with sacroiliac (SI) joint pain in female runners compared to healthy controls. [Participants and Methods] In this case-control study, treadmill running gait biomechanics of female runners diagnosed SI joint pain, (by ultrasound-guided diagnostic SI joint injection and/or ≥2 positive SI physical exam maneuvers) were compared with age, height, mass, and BMI matched healthy female runners. Sagittal and coronal plane treadmill running video angles were measured and compared.

Femoroacetabular translation in female athletes and dancers assessed by dynamic hip ultrasonography.

Objective: To compare femoroacetabular (FA) translation between dancers and athletes with hip pain and between dancers with and without hip pain.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 171 female athletes and dancers with hip pain underwent dynamic hip ultrasound (DHUS) of FA translation in three positions: neutral (N), neutral with contralateral hip flexion (NF), apprehension position with contralateral hip flexion (EER-F). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to assess variation in FA translation between dancers and athletes in the presence of age, Beighton score/hypermobility, BMI, radiographic markers of acetabular dysplasia and femoral version angles.

Generalized Joint Laxity Is Associated With Dynamic Hip Ultrasonography Measures in Female Athlete Patients Who Are Not Hypermobile.

Objectives: To investigate ultrasound (US) femoroacetabular translation measurements in female athlete patients.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in female athlete patients <50 years. Demographic data, Beighton score/hypermobility status, and sport participation were collected.

Ultrasound Observation of Hip Translational Motion in Adolescent Dancers.

Hip microinstability, characterized by supraphysiologic movement of the femoroacetabular joint, has recently been recognized as a clinically relevant pathology. The potentially detrimental effects of its presence on joint health make identifying microinstability important; however, due to its multifaceted nature, screening for microinstability presents challenges. Musculoskeletal ultrasound offers an opportunity to visualize the arthrokinematics of the femoroacetabular joint on dynamic evaluation.

Low energy availability and impact sport participation as risk factors for urinary incontinence in female athletes.

Introduction: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) is a clinical syndrome that includes the many complex health and performance consequences of low energy availability (EA) in athletes, when there is insufficient caloric intake to meet exercise-related energy expenditure and to support basic physiologic functions. There is a high prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in female athletes and it is more common in female athletes than non-athletes. The objective of this study was to determine if low EA is associated with UI in a population of adolescent and young adult female athletes and to evaluate for an association between sport categories and UI.