Everyone is very aware that the younger you are, the faster you heal.  A sprained ankle during a soccer game that would have hobbled mom and dad for a couple weeks is barely noticeable in a few days with an 8 year old.  As a parent, there are a number of things you must consider why you young athlete heals so fast:

PROS

·         Adolescents spend a considerable amount energy and bodily resources to build muscles, bones, and organs.  This same mechanism fixes the "broken" parts with expediency.

·         Younger bodies are more "elastic" meaning the various tissues throughout the body are able to bend more without braking.  At very young ages, sprained ankles can commonly occur in bone avulsions (tearing away of bone from bone) because the ligaments are stronger than the surrounding bone.  

·         Athletes are generally more active and fit, therefore, they have improved cardiovascular systems that get more blood to heal damaged body parts. 

Knowing these advantages, parents may have a tendency to push young athletes back into competition faster.  The belief "they are young, they will heal" has a truth but it also has an uglier side that is often overlooked.

CONS

·         While tissue is building new parts, it is developing a system that will last for the many decades to come.  If this building process is severely or constantly interrupted your child's maximum development will never be achieved.  Thus, one ankle will be 100% at age 18 and the other from constant sprains and playing hurt for years will be at 70%, foundationalizing a future of ankle weakness and instability. 

·         The "elasticity" of tissue at this age is great for reducing risk of minor injuries but can increase the risk of major injuries.  Dislocated joints, such as the shoulder and hip, can occur because the muscles are not developed and the forces on them can be too great.  Creating unstable joints because the body is too worn down or exasperated can lead to a future of severe arthritis and joint pain. 

·         This improved blood supply to various body parts is fantastic to heal but only to a point.  Young athletes with Osgood Schlatter's that constantly press through the pain can create a large boney callous that builds in the irritated area.  This area can create a weakened bridge for the patellar tendon an lead to a life of patellar tendonitis or patellofemoral dysfunction. 

Just because children can heal faster doesn't mean they should be put back into play before they heal.  Remember, given the time they will still heal much faster than adults but don't always think in the now.  Getting back to the championship 8 year old soccer match is important but there are many more years of sports ahead and a child that will develop into an adult.  Play in the now...look ahead to the future.... and every game will be the greatest one played.