Track & Field

Overuse running injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome (so-called "runner's knee"), and Achilles tendonitis may have more to do with weakened hip muscles than the sheer number of miles an athlete runs.

Shin splints are an inflammation of the tendons attaching the shin muscles to the tibia (shin bone) and a warning sign that, for whatever reason, the muscles are unable to handle the stress being placed on them. They are the number one overuse injury in track and field. If you suspect your child has shin splints, he should be seen by his doctor because sometimes what looks like shin splints are actually tibia stress fractures.

Friends and acquaintances who know my track background frequently ask me, "How do I get my child started in track & field?" Because track & field programs are not as ubiquitous as soccer or basketball programs, it may not be as easy as going to the nearest recreation center or Boys & Girls club. Yet youth track & field, or age group track & field, as it is called in the sport, is a thriving activity nationwide and most communities have track clubs for kids. It's just a matter of knowing how to find them.

New research suggests that more intense training and inadequate diet are placing high school athletes at significant risk for developing stress fractures in the bones of the back, hip, leg and foot, with girls more likely to suffer such overuse injury and at an earlier age than boys.

Many of today's running shoes feature a heavy cushioned heel, but new research presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says that the shoes may alter an adolescent runner's biomechanics in a way that adversely effects performance.