Sports Medicine at The Children’s Hospital
Sports injuries can occur at any age, whether you are a high school tennis player or a competitor in senior golf events. But children and young adults require special attention because they are not finished growing. In growing children, injuries or movement problems in bones, muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons are quite different from those found in older patients. A young adult’s continued growth and activity should be of special consideration when treating his sports injuries.
In the last few decades, more and more children and young adults are participating in organized sports at both the recreational and competitive levels. Every year, more than 25 million young people participate in organized, often extremely competitive, sports. Frequently, teenagers play one competitive season after another, occasionally with overlapping practices and competitions.
Sports-related injuries can occur in serious athletes training at competitive levels, but it is important to acknowledge that they can also occur in athletes participating in organized school sports or recreational activities. For many athletes, scoring a touchdown, breaking the record for butterfly, or even finishing a mile run require that they receive special medical treatment, rehabilitation and education on how to stay healthy in the future.
The Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes
Powered by The Children's Hospital and CU Sports Medicine
It is vital that competitive athletes are acknowledged for their competitive focus and receive the care they need in order to get back into training and competition at the level they previously competed at and beyond. They need special attention to ensure they have the proper preventative sports injury education to avoid injury from occurring in the future while continuing to pursue strenuous training and competition. That is why The Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes at The Children’s Hospital is the best choice for competitive athletes’ needs. Our affiliation with the CU Sports Medicine program means that our staff is also part of the premier team at CU providing excellence in sports medicine care, from childhood on through adulthood.
Recreational athletes need their active lifestyle to also be taken into consideration when a rehabilitation plan for their injury is developed. While they might not compete or be active on a competitive level, it is important to consider not only the basics of how well an injury heals, but should include attention toward the athletes level of activity before the injury and his goals throughout the remainder of their growing stage. The Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes at The Children’s Hospital recognizes that recreational athletes, who might be involved in recreational or high school team sports, might not necessarily have aspirations for Olympic gold. But they still have a need for special care by Sports Medicine professionals and that it is important that they receive care relevant to their activity level.
A Premier Program Dedicated to Maximizing Sports Involvement for Pediatric and Adolescent Athletes
The Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes provides comprehensive assessment, treatment, and care for children and adolescents with injuries and conditions affecting sports participation. This is the premier place in the Rocky Mountain region for young athletes to access a full spectrum of care. Dedicated to helping young athletes be the best they can be, The Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes offers:
- Sports injury care and rehabilitation
- Assessments for improved sports performance
- Sports injury prevention education
- Medical coverage for youth athletic events in the Denver metro area
- Community education for parents, athletic directors, coaches and athletic trainers
The focus of the orthopedic and sports medicine rehabilitation team is on the prevention and rehabilitation of sport-related injuries in children and adolescents. Our multi-disciplinary care means that your child can access experts in related departments throughout The Children’s Hospital to ensure the best care possible. These departments and programs include:
Sports Medicine Conditions We Treat
With increased demands placed on a growing skeleton, young athletes are particularly prone to musculoskeletal injury. Injuries can be classified into two main categories: acute and chronic.
Rehabilitation with Emphasis on Growth
The broad and practical experience of our staff helps in the planning of rehabilitation programs focused on the impact of a child’s growth. Our team has more practical experience on how an injury might impact growth, or how growth might impact rehabilitation of a sports injury. Like all our programs, the sports medicine program includes pediatric-specific technologies/equipment, for all sizes of children, youth, teens and young adults. Sports Medicine Physical Therapy .
