Back in the Game

from Shine Newsletter, Fall 2006

Whether it’s your 7-year-old on the soccer field or your 16-year-old swimmer, young athletes are playing harder than ever before.

Today’s kids are particularly intense about sports,” says Brooke Pengel, MD, board-certified pediatrician with additional training and certification in sports medicine at The Children’s Hospital. “Both acute and chronic injuries are becoming more common, because these children and adolescents are participating in sport after sport and not taking breaks between seasons.”

Mallory Heinzeroth, a three-sport athlete from central Denver, is one example. The 15-year-old plays volleyball, basketball and soccer for East High School — but tendinitis in her leg caused by wear and tear was keeping her on the bench.

Fortunately, Mallory and her brother Mitchell (also an avid athlete) found help through the sports medicine program at Children’s.

“I’d been to other clinics that weren’t sports-related, and no one could figure out what happened or how to fix my problem,” Mallory says. “Dr. Pengel understands the effects sports can have on my body, and we’re working to get me back to what I love.”

More Than Mini-Adults

Dr. Pengel says that injuries experienced by children and adolescents who play sports are unique.

“The injury patterns in pediatric and adolescent patients tend to look very different from their adult counterparts,” she says. “In addition, these individuals are still growing. Younger athletes need treatments that allow them to regain function and facilitate appropriate growth patterns.”

The Heinzeroths couldn’t be happier with the help they received through Children’s.

“First of all, the doctors and staff know what it’s like to be an athlete who can’t be active,” says Susan Heinzeroth,   Mallory’s mother. “Secondly, they nailed down the problem very quickly and were helpful and empathetic to our needs. We feel like we’ve found the place to deal with our sports-related problems.”

To schedule an appointment with Children’s Orthopedic department, call 720-777-1234.