Franklin raises many young athletes. Between the Franklin Baseball Club, which has been running Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth leagues since 1960, the Franklin Youth Football and Cheer Program, dating back to 1970, the Williamson County Soccer Association, and the travel and club teams that start earlier every year, kids here have more organized sports opportunities than almost anywhere in Middle Tennessee.

That is mostly a good thing. It also means we see a specific, well-documented pattern at Amplify Health and Performance: young athletes dealing with pain that is not from a single bad play, but from months or years of repetitive stress on a body that is still growing. Here is what parents should actually know.

The Overuse Injury Trend Parents Need to Know About

Overuse injuries now account for roughly half of all sports-related injuries in young athletes, and the rate has been climbing. Much of that increase tracks closely with earlier and more intense single-sport specialization: kids playing one sport year-round, often across multiple teams at once, with little true off-season.

Research specifically on early specialization has found a consistent pattern across dozens of studies: young athletes who specialize early train more, rest less, and get hurt more often, with overuse injuries being the dominant injury type in that group.

Why Young Bodies Are Especially Vulnerable

Kids are not just smaller adults. Growth plates, the areas of developing cartilage near the ends of a child’s bones, are weaker than the surrounding bone, muscle, and ligament until they finish growing. Repetitive stress that an adult body could absorb without issue can irritate a growth plate in a young athlete, especially during growth spurts when bones are lengthening faster than the surrounding muscles and tendons can keep up.

This is why so many overuse injuries in youth show up in predictable, growth plate-related patterns rather than random locations.

The Most Common Youth Overuse Injuries We See

Little League Elbow

Common in baseball and softball players, this is stress on the growth plate at the inner elbow from repetitive throwing. It typically requires a genuine break from throwing, often four to six weeks, followed by a gradual, structured return.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease

A common cause of knee pain just below the kneecap in growing kids, especially those in running and jumping sports like soccer, basketball, and football. It is directly tied to activity level and tends to improve with load management rather than with complete rest alone.

Sever’s Disease

Heel pain from irritation of the growth plate in the heel, common in active kids during growth spurts, especially in running and jumping sports. Like Osgood-Schlatter, it responds well to a managed approach rather than simply pushing through it.

Rising ACL Injury Rates

ACL injury rates in young athletes have climbed substantially over the past two decades, with a notably sharper increase in female athletes than in male athletes. Cutting, pivoting sports like soccer and basketball carry the highest risk, and fatigue combined with underdeveloped neuromuscular control plays a real role. If your athlete ends up needing surgery, our ACL recovery timeline guide walks through what the process actually looks like.

The Role of Early Specialization

One of the more consistent findings in youth sports research is that multi-sport participation meaningfully lowers injury risk compared to year-round single-sport training, with some research showing a reduction of 30 to 50 percent. Playing multiple sports spreads stress across different muscle groups and movement patterns instead of repeating the exact same motion week after week, all year long.

This is the same overuse pattern that shows up in adult athletes, too, just compressed into a much shorter timeline in a body that is still developing. We see it in the recurring shoulder and elbow pain covered in our post on shoulder pain that keeps coming back after traditional PT, and the mechanism is largely the same: repetitive load without enough recovery or supporting strength.

What Parents Can Do

  • Encourage more than one sport when possible, especially before high school. Different sports use different movement patterns and give overworked areas a real break.
  • Build in an actual off-season. Time away from a specific repetitive motion, such as throwing, kicking, or jumping, allows tendons and growth plates to recover.
  • Take recurring complaints seriously. A young athlete who mentions the same spot hurting after every practice is not being dramatic. That pattern is exactly how overuse injuries present.
  • Support age-appropriate strength and movement training. General athletic development, not heavy or sport-specific overload, helps young bodies handle the demands of their sport more safely.
  • Watch for limping, favoring one side, or a noticeable drop in performance, all common signs that something is being protected.

How Amplify Supports Young Athletes in Franklin, TN

Youth athletics is one of our [PRE]habilitation specialties, and every evaluation is one on one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy, so we can actually track a young athlete’s movement patterns and progress over time rather than handing over a generic handout. If you want to understand how that model works, we have broken down one-on-one physical therapy versus traditional clinics in more detail. For young athletes, that typically includes:

  • A movement assessment to identify strength or mobility gaps before they turn into an overuse injury.
  • Guidance on training load, off-season planning, and return-to-play timelines after an injury.
  • Age-appropriate strengthening and mechanics work built around the specific demands of the athlete’s sport.
  • Direct communication with parents and coaches so everyone is on the same page about what a young athlete can safely handle.

When to See a Physical Therapist for a Young Athlete

It is worth getting evaluated when:

  • Pain shows up consistently after the same activity, practice after practice, or game after game.
  • Pain does not improve after a few days of rest or returns as soon as activity resumes.
  • You notice limping, guarding, or a change in how your child runs, throws, or jumps.
  • Your athlete has been playing the same sport year-round without a real off-season.

Tennessee has direct access laws, so you can schedule an evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Amplify without a physician referral first, which makes it easier to get a straight answer before an issue costs your athlete a season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are overuse injuries increasing in youth sports?

The rise is closely tied to earlier and more intense single-sport specialization. Young athletes who train in one sport year-round with little true off-season repeat the same movements far more often, increasing stress on the same muscles, tendons, and growth plates without enough recovery time.

What is Little League elbow?

Little League elbow is stress on the growth plate at the inner elbow caused by repetitive throwing, most common in baseball and softball players. It typically requires a genuine break from throwing, followed by a structured, gradual return to avoid the injury becoming chronic.

Should my child specialize in one sport?

Research consistently shows that multi-sport participation lowers injury risk compared to year-round single-sport training, particularly before high school. Playing more than one sport spreads physical demands across different movement patterns instead of repeating the same motion continuously.

Are growth plate injuries serious?

Most respond well to load management and, when needed, a period of rest from the specific aggravating activity. They are not usually dangerous, but ignoring them and continuing to push through pain can extend recovery time and, in some cases, affect normal growth, so they should not be dismissed as ordinary growing pains.

Do I need a doctor’s referral for my child to see a physical therapist in Tennessee?

No. Tennessee allows direct access to physical therapy, so you can first schedule an evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Amplify without a physician referral.

Does Amplify Health and Performance work with young athletes in Franklin, TN?

Yes. Youth athletics is one of our [PRE]habilitation specialties, and we work with young athletes and their families on injury prevention, movement assessments, training load guidance, and recovery from sport related pain.

If your young athlete has been dealing with pain that keeps coming back, our team at Amplify Health and Performance in Franklin, TN, can help you understand what is actually going on and build a plan around it, before it costs a season. Reach out to start an intake and work one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy who takes youth sports seriously.