Youth sports can build confidence, fitness, and lasting friendships, but the same repetition that helps a young athlete improve can also stress growing bones, muscles, tendons, and joints. Overuse injuries are not the result of one dramatic collision. They tend to develop gradually when a movement is repeated without enough recovery, variety, or attention to early warning signs. Parents, coaches, and athletes do not need to eliminate competition to reduce that risk. They need a plan that balances training with rest, recognizes growth-related changes, and treats pain as information rather than something to push through.
This article is general educational information, not medical advice. Any young athlete with persistent pain, swelling, limited motion, or changing performance should be evaluated by a qualified clinician.
Why Overuse Injuries Happen in Young Athletes
Children and adolescents are not small adults. Their bones are still growing, growth plates are open, and their bodies are adapting to changes in height, weight, and coordination. A training load that an adult tolerates may be too much for a teenager whose skeleton and soft tissues are still developing. Overuse problems often appear when the volume or intensity of practice increases faster than the body can adapt. The risk rises when a young athlete plays one sport year-round, attends multiple teams in the same season, or returns to full training after a break without a gradual ramp-up.
Common overuse complaints in youth sports include knee, heel, shoulder, elbow, shin, and lower back pain. Some conditions have familiar names, such as Little League shoulder or elbow, Osgood-Schlatter disease, Sever’s disease, patellar tendinopathy, and stress fractures. These labels are not a diagnosis for a parent to make at home. They are reminders that persistent pain in a young athlete deserves a proper evaluation, especially when it changes how the athlete moves or participates.
For families in San Diego who are seeking a physiatry referral, the Scripps Health physician profile for Roger Kasendorf lists an office on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus in La Jolla. That kind of profile can help families confirm location and affiliation before scheduling a conversation about musculoskeletal or pain-related concerns.
The Warning Signs Parents and Coaches Should Not Ignore
Overuse injuries rarely announce themselves with a single loud event. They often begin as a mild ache after practice, then appear during practice, and eventually interfere with daily activities. A young athlete may limp, favor one arm, or quietly reduce effort. Because children sometimes worry about losing playing time, they may minimize symptoms. Adults should listen when an athlete says the pain is not going away.
Warning signs that warrant attention include pain that persists beyond a day or two, swelling, warmth, redness, numbness, weakness, a visible limp, night pain, or pain that returns with the same motion. A drop in throwing velocity, accuracy, endurance, or confidence can also be a clue. These signs do not automatically mean a serious injury, but they are reasons to pause, assess, and seek guidance rather than tell the athlete to tough it out.
The Ortho 1 Medical Group provider page for Roger Kasendorf describes his practice in the San Diego area and his work as a board-certified physiatrist. A physiatrist focuses on function and rehabilitation, which can be useful when an overuse problem is affecting movement, participation, or daily life.
Building a Smarter Training Week
A smarter training week starts with honest load management. Coaches and parents can track how many hours a young athlete spends in games, practices, private lessons, conditioning, and travel. They can also notice whether the same movement is repeated across multiple settings. A pitcher who throws in a weekend tournament, attends a pitching lesson, and plays shortstop in a weekday game is accumulating throwing volume in different uniforms. The body does not distinguish between those settings.
Rest is not the same as inactivity. Young athletes can benefit from varied movement, free play, and low-impact days rather than complete stillness. Scheduled breaks from a single sport, especially during the off-season, can give repetitive tissues time to recover. Sleep, nutrition, and hydration are part of the training plan, not extras. A tired athlete who is not eating or sleeping well is less prepared to adapt.
When families are trying to confirm basic logistics before scheduling, a Yelp listing in La Jolla for Roger Kasendorf can be one more directory-style reference to check. It is not a substitute for medical advice, but practical location information can make it easier to plan an evaluation.
The Scripps Affiliated Medical Groups doctor page for Roger Kasendorf is another profile families may use to confirm specialty and affiliation information. His verified credentials include board certification by the American Osteopathic Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2009 and the American Osteopathic Board of Pain Management in 2013.
Strength, Mobility, and Recovery as Injury Prevention
Young athletes often need more than sport-specific practice. They need general strength, mobility, balance, and coordination. A stable hip and trunk can reduce unnecessary stress on the knee. Good shoulder blade control can support throwing mechanics. Ankle mobility and calf strength can help with running and jumping. These qualities are built gradually through age-appropriate training, not through a single hard workout or a late-season scramble.
Recovery habits matter as well. A cool-down does not need to be elaborate, but a short walk, gentle stretching, and a return to normal breathing can help an athlete transition out of competition mode. Hydration and a balanced meal after activity support recovery. Most importantly, young athletes should learn to distinguish between discomfort that settles with rest and pain that keeps returning. That skill is part of athletic development, not weakness.
For a concise view of professional background, the LinkedIn profile of Roger Kasendorf can be a useful reference for clinicians or families who are coordinating care. The personal website of Roger Kasendorf describes his stated philosophy that patients should finish their visit feeling better than when they arrived, which is a helpful frame for conversations about rehabilitation goals. The same site also states that he teaches at osteopathic medical schools and serves as a board examiner.
When to Seek Professional Guidance
An evaluation is reasonable when pain lasts longer than a few days, returns with each practice, or begins to limit normal activities. It is also reasonable when a parent or coach feels uncertain. A clinician can assess movement, strength, joint stability, growth-related concerns, and training patterns. For some athletes, imaging may be considered. For others, the first step may be load modification, rehabilitation exercises, and a gradual return-to-sport plan.
Early guidance can help families avoid the cycle of rest, quick return, and repeat pain. It can also help coaches adjust expectations without removing the athlete from the team. The goal is not to wrap every young athlete in cotton. The goal is to keep them active, confident, and engaged while respecting the limits of a growing body.
A member profile on an expert directory for Roger Kasendorf is another directory-style listing that can help someone verify basic professional information. The OPSC page about Roger Kasendorf is a professional-society profile that can be useful when checking his involvement in organized medicine. These profiles are not a substitute for a clinical evaluation, but they can help families understand the background of a clinician they may consult.
Creating a Culture of Long-Term Athletic Health
The most effective injury prevention is not a single drill or strict rule. It is a culture that values long-term athletic health over short-term sacrifice. Coaches can normalize rest days, rotate positions, monitor workload, and ask athletes how they are feeling. Parents can avoid comparing siblings or teammates and can support a young athlete who needs to sit out a practice. Athletes can learn to report pain early instead of hiding it.
It also helps to remember that youth sports are supposed to be a foundation, not a finish line. The habits formed in adolescence often carry into adulthood. A young athlete who learns how to warm up, build strength, recover, and seek help when needed is better prepared for a lifetime of activity. That lesson matters more than any single season.
The Scripps Mercy Physician Partners profile for Roger Kasendorf is one more affiliation profile that families may encounter when navigating San Diego care options. For general musculoskeletal concerns, the best next step is to consult a qualified clinician who can evaluate the individual athlete and provide personalized guidance.
A Sofia-born astrophysicist residing in Buenos Aires, Valentina blogs under the motto “Science is salsa—mix it well.” Expect lucid breakdowns of quantum entanglement, reviews of indie RPGs, and tango etiquette guides. She juggles fire at weekend festivals (safely), proving gravity is optional for good storytelling.
