The 'youth sports industrial complex' is destroying young bodies — NFL doctor speaks out

Children who play sports are being treated like professional athletes, and even professional athletes are suffering greater injuries than ever before.

Now that youth sports are being maxed out and competitions are offered as year-round money-makers for athletic organizations, the frequency of devastating injuries among children has increased, and top doctors are noticing.

'When you're physically putting 10,000 hours of demand on an adolescent body, that doesn't work.'

Dr. Karim Meijer, medical director and head team physician for the NFL's Denver Broncos, says not only are pro athletes in the middle of an "injury epidemic," but children who yearn to become professional ball players are being driven by the "youth sports industrial complex."

From inside his own clinic, Dr. Meijer told Blaze News about a new phenomenon: gruesome injuries that have become the new normal in sports.

"We're seeing knee dislocations," Meijer said from an exam room. "Those are devastating career-, limb-threatening-type injuries on an athletic field that just wasn't as prevalent in the [older] NFL days. ... Those things really weren't happening."

To that end, injuries to children have also increased as they engage in what Meijer described as intense, repetitive training that starts as early as 7 or 8 years old.

"When you're physically putting 10,000 hours of demand on an adolescent body, that doesn't work," the pro doctor explained.

Meijer said kids are playing multiple games every weekend, all year round with no true off-season, creating cumulative damage that never fully heals. The doctor warned parents that by the time these children reach high school or college, their tissue and tendons can already be compromised.

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Injuries that were rare a generation ago — "Achilles ruptures, UCL tears, growth-plate avulsions, rotator-cuff tears" — are now commonplace due to "ubiquitous" sports leagues, Meijer said.

Meijer recalled appointments he's had with young athletes within recent days, including a 14-year-old "who threw a ball from third base and pulled his growth plate off the inside of his elbow."

"That's a kid that also plays year-round baseball," Meijer added.

These injuries are not necessarily occurring in major sports or affecting only male athletes either, according to the physician. Young girls are coming to him with rare injuries due to constant physical stress and competition too.

"I have a 14-year-old volleyball girl I saw this morning who already has partial tears on the underside of her rotator cuff, something commonly we see called internal impingement," Meijer pointed out, demonstrating a volleyball spiking motion. "Fairly young, but it's a year-round volleyball player."

The doctor urged parents to start thinking about the longevity of their child's athletic career and how to prevent injury.

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"It's not rocket science," Meijer declared, saying he tells parents all the time the types of injuries their child may be susceptible to just based on their sport.

Solutions can be as simple as playing different sports that use "completely different kinds of mechanics" and that work different parts of their body.

In the doctor's opinion, parents may also want to consider their kids' health before signing them up for a long-term athletic commitment, especially since these sports companies are always seeking more revenue.

"What's a 12-month calendar year look like for the healthier child versus the financial benefit of a youth sports organization?" Meijer asked.

Other suggested remedies included training that doesn't involve the repetitive motions of a given sport, some of which can be worse than others.

"I wouldn't pitch in two consecutive seasons," Meijer said as an example.

He concluded, "I tell parents all the time, it's not a sprint. It's a marathon. You gotta work year by year, but you want to keep your child as healthy as possible as you go through it."

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