As many of you may have noticed, your kids’ clothing may be shrinking. There could be a slight chance they went into the wrong cycle of laundry, but it is most likely due to growth spurts. These may have been expected and some may be a complete surprise, but regardless of whether you were prepared or not, doesn’t stop the fact that now that we are having regular practices, your son or daughter is starting to complain about aches and pains. With the time off that we have been forced to have, your children’s bodies have taken advantage of this time and have stretched out. With their bones getting longer, their muscles are having a hard time catching up, which then causes them pain right where those growth plates are. This is very common in young athletes. These ‘growing pains’ can be anywhere in the body, but for our young soccer players they will typically present themselves in the knees and/or heels. Commonly known as Osgood Schlatter’s Disease (knee) and Sever’s Disease (heel), they can be pretty painful and could possibly follow them into teenage and young adult years if not handled properly.
Osgood Schlatter’s Disease, or OSD, is when a young individual has pain just below their patella tendon (or kneecap), right on the tibia (or shin bone). This pain is typically caused by the overuse or excessive stress on the knees from very tight hip flexors and quad muscles. Sometimes the young individual will develop a bump in that area. OSD in particular can carry onto the young individual’s life as they get older. Sever’s Disease, however, is a bit different. It is also caused by overuse or excessive stress but it is from tightness in the hamstrings and calf muscles and the pain is located on the heel where the achilles tendon attaches. This area is at a higher risk of fracture if not managed properly because of the location of the growth plate. With 5 different types of fractures that determine the severity of the injury, recovery time can vary from weeks to months. As mentioned before though, both of the long term and serious effects of ‘growing pains’ can be prevented. Seattle United has programs that address both of these issues so that, our young athletes can properly manage their pain while they are growing. These programs do not require much equipment and can help prevent fractures and possible sitting out time. If you follow the link that is included below you can find both of these programs. Also, if you have further questions regarding your child’s growing pains you can email me, Jasmin, the athletic trainer, at [email protected] and I would be happy to help you navigate through this time!
