Nontraumatic Sports Injuries to the Lower Extremity

The number of children and adolescents participating in sports is on the rise. There has been an increase in the incidence of overuse injuries and a concern that overscheduling, multi-day tournaments, and playing on multiple teams in a single season contribute to the development of these injuries. Skeletally immature children and adolescents are susceptible to overuse injuries to the physes and apophyses, which can be difficult to diagnose, especially because many do not have positive radiographic findings. This article describes the pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prevention of lower extremity overuse injuries in the skeletally mature and immature athlete.