Usually by the time a young athlete shows up at the doctor or physical therapy office, the problem is really bad.  There is a tendency amongst parents and athletes to delay seeing the physician, often for fear that the doctor will say, “take some time off if you want to heal.”  This means no playing, practicing, lifting, training, etc. and that is very hard for the athlete to stomach.  Parents obviously don’t want their child to be depressed because they can’t play but look at early intervention another way: faster you get in…the faster you get out. 

As a physical therapist, young athletes will often show up with knee pain that has been going on for months…sometimes even years!  Shoulder injuries that they have been throwing, swimming, or shooting through for many seasons.  I have even seen sprained ankles that never healed and continue to get hurt over and over.  Here is a simple philosophy in respects to injuries:

THE LONGER IT HAS BEEN HURTING…THE LONGER IT WILL TAKE TO HEAL.

Sticking to this simple philosophy, here is a list of advantages to getting to the doctor when a problem arises:

1. Peace of Mind – Instead of surfing the net to find out what is wrong with your child, go to the doctor.  I know there are sometimes long waits and $20-40 co-pays but honestly how many hours will you spend searching, worrying, and losing sleep?  It is probably worth 20 bucks and a 30 minute wait to know what is going on. 

2. Early in…Early Out – Catching problems when they are small, such as tendonitis or a grade 1 ankle sprain, will allow early intervention to prevent the problem from getting much worse.  Remember, your child has only one body…the original parts are always better than repaired and worn pieces. 

3. Progress and Protect the Future – The same methods for injury prevention are the same that are used to maximize performance.  These things are very important to learn early!  Your doctor or physical therapist can provide you with excellent information to guide a young athlete’s sports career.  Ask the medical professionals instead of searching for YouTube clips of stretches.