Youth athletes need to get back into sports gradually – in general, about 6 weeks.
The body is a machine that adapts. It doesn’t just turn on or off. You have to listen to it, and ease it back into activity gradually.
- Take your child’s level of athletic activity before they took a break – and divide it in half. That’s what they should start with on day one of getting back to their sport. For example, if they were running a mile each day, start by running a half-mile each day.
- Increase the activity by 10 percent each week. That means on week two, your child will be at 60 percent of their previous activity; on week three, 70 percent; and so on.
- By week six, they’ll be back to full activities.
If your child has pain, stop.
Pain is an athlete’s body telling them they shouldn’t be doing something.
- Don’t mask pain with anti-inflammatories.
- Don’t ignore it. If your child is experiencing pain, back off from activities until they’re pain-free. Then slowly restart the process of increasing their activity.
