There is a common misconception amongst the sporting population that “surgery can fix everything.”

Let me clear this up: IT IS NOT!!! 

I spoke with one orthopedic surgeon who told me that doing a rotator cuff repair on a young athlete, “is not a repair job….it is a clean up job, I will be seeing them again later.”  When a hamstring tears, at best  the tissue will heal to 80% of its original strength.  Baseball pitchers that get their elbows fixed may get their velocity back but will never establish better command of their pitches.  ACL surgeries or any laxity in the joint due to repeated knee injuries can lead to early onset arthritis. 

In sports, these things happen but often are very avoidable.  If your child is running full speed down the basketball court and accidently trips and breaks his/her hand, that happens…..that is sport.  But, if your child had twisted their knee and is having trouble walking but insists on doing jump squats because they are part of the coach’s lifting program, that is train wreck waiting to happen.  Roughly 60-70% of all ACL tears are non-contact meaning it was not instantaneous, it likely had been building for a long time or was unprepared/overfatigued for the activity.

If your child is hurt, listen to your doctor and let them rest.  Be the bad guy, someone has to be.  The original parts are always better and doing everything to maintain them will ensure great success for your child’s athletic career and the rest of their lives.