I read that you shouldn’t let your child play a sport like baseball if he is going to be throwing the same way all the time. This can lead to injury to his elbow. Is this true?

In a society like ours today, where children may not be active enough, we are constantly encouraging them to participate in sports, to get outside and play. So, if a child shows an interest in a sport and they are physically able to play, it would be hard to discourage it. That being said, doctors are starting to see overuse injuries in children and adolescents now, something that was restricted pretty well to adults before.

The trick is to ensure that children receive proper training in whatever they are doing. They should also learn alternate activities to give much used joints a rest. We should be encouraging our children to use their whole body rather than to concentrate on one aspect. So, if a child wants to play baseball, for example, and wants to pitch. It’s essential that he or she be taught how to pitch properly, that the child observe mandates to rest a certain number of days between games, and so on. As well, if the child can become interested in playing another position, a break from pitching would do a world of good to his or her shoulder or elbow.

If your child does participate in a sport that requires the same movements again and again, watch for signs of overuse injury, such as stiffness and pain.