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Considerations for Treating the Pediatric Endurance Athlete

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Endurance Sports Medicine

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Abstract

The popularity of youth participation in endurance sports, particularly running, has dramatically increased in the middle school- and high school-aged populations. Youth running provides various benefits in health (musculoskeletal and cardiovascular development) along with social and personal development. As participation in youth running grows, there is a greater need to better understand methods to optimize treatment of health concerns in this population. Identifying the types and patterns of running-related injuries specific to the youth runner can lead to further investigations into injury risk factors. The development of effective screening tools and preventative measures relies on better understanding of the impact of youth running on health and injury. This chapter will review medical and rehabilitation considerations in the youth runner while highlighting expert-guided recommendations for youth participation in running, identifying intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for injury, and providing recommendations for injury management and injury preventative measures pertaining to training, nutrition, and safe running participation.

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  1. Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA

    Stephanie DeLuca & Adam S. Tenforde

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Correspondence to Adam S. Tenforde .

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  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, New Albany, Columbus, OH, USA

    Timothy L. Miller

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DeLuca, S., Tenforde, A.S. (2023). Considerations for Treating the Pediatric Endurance Athlete. In: Miller, T.L. (eds) Endurance Sports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26600-3_8

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