Young athletes injury clinic

My clinic welcomes young athletes dealing with pain or discomfort from sport or play. Lately, I’m seeing more kids around ages 11–12 experiencing muscle and joint pain related to growth spurts and puberty. If your child is suddenly picking up more injuries or complaining of leg or muscle pain, it could be a sign they’re simply growing up! With 17 years of experience running a kids’ injury clinic, I’m here to support you and your child through this phase, helping them stay active, recover well, and keep enjoying sport both in and out of school.

Things you can do to help support your child through growth spurts:

During growth spurts, the thigh (femur) and shin (tibia) bones lengthen, these are the main drivers of height increases in kids. As bones grow quickly, muscles try to keep up, often creating tension around the knees and lower legs. This mismatch can lead to discomfort or pain, especially during sport. At this stage, the body benefits from a temporary reduction in physical activity to adapt and reset. While this might not fit perfectly with after-school clubs or team commitments, a short break now is often better than enforced rest due to injury later. Negotiating a lighter schedule with your child can go a long way. Foam rolling the quads and sports massage can also help ease tightness and support recovery.

If visiting me with your child, getting a clear understanding of the reason behind the discomfort they are experiencing is paramount (its not always linked to puberty and growth spurts, but often is!). Taking a case history and asking more than enough questions helps me tap into where they are in the injury cycle and alloow me to create a very simple rehab plan promoting minimum time, minimum effort, minimum concentration!  Kids are great to work with ( I have 2 myself) providing you can paint the picture for them and positively motivate them to do their homework! 

Rest from sports is unquestionably a big thing to promote. And although it may clash with pre arranged sports commitments or tournaments, a step back from it will often allow you to jump back into it quicker than making the injury or discomfort worse, often prelonging a greater rest / rehab period. Let them sleep more and help fuel their appetite too!