Talking to Parents and Athletes About Sports Injuries

When a young athlete is injured, healthcare providers must take on many roles—healer, educator, and often mediator between parents and children. Parents are often focused on their child’s well-being, although it is important to understand that a parent’s concept of well-being may place varying levels of importance on health, happiness, and success. Young athletes often are eager to return to their sport as quickly as possible. It can be helpful to remind both parents and athletes that youth sports are about more than competition – they are an opportunity to build lifelong habits of teamwork, resilience, and good health.

Open communication throughout the treatment process is essential. Providers should advocate for decisions that place the young athlete’s health first. At times, this means emphasizing that the long-term risks of ignoring medical guidance far outweigh the short-term benefit of returning to play too soon. This approach should be utilized when managing acute injuries on the sideline or in the office, as well as when managing overuse injuries, which are commonly experienced in young athletes, particularly those who participate in sports year-round. Stressing the importance of appropriate rest and recovery for each injury helps ensure the athlete’s success and health both on and off the field.

How can I help parents to be calm and supportive after their child suffers an injury?

Listen and empathize with their concerns. Be sure you understand the source of their reactions.
Explain your views and recommendations, specifically addressing their concerns.
Define a detailed outline of options and recovery recommendations, and ask for their thoughts on the treatment plan.
Stress that everyone involved wants the child to be healthy and hopefully return to playing.
Highlight the risks involved with not following guidelines.
Highlight the benefits of following guidelines, including a more reliable and often more rapid return to playing.

What can I do as a healthcare provider to keep injured athletes on the recovery path?

Educate the athlete on the risks of not following the recovery recommendations especially as it relates to overuse and trauma, including cutting their playing season short and having health consequences in the future such as arthritis.
Highlight that playing sports is not about just winning a game, but also being part of a team—and by following directions for recovery the athlete is helping their team.
Emphasize that a full recovery improves the athlete’s chances of continuing to play sports into adulthood.

How can I establish what a positive outcome should be?

Parents are generally receptive to an approach that benefits their children in some form. You should make it clear that you want to work together with the parent and athlete to resolve the health issue. Based on this common ground, you can define a positive resolution. In many cases a successful outcome is simply having the parent’s opinion heard and understood.

Whatever the other issues/pressures, it’s important to stress to the parent that you want to work together to create a solution, whether that is resting an athlete or taking a step back during a practice or game.

When treating athletes with overuse injuries, what relevant information can be provided regarding year-round athletes or early sport specialization?

Definition: Early sport specialization refers to focusing on a single sport (more than 8 months in a year) before age 12
Injury risk: Athletes who specialize early are about 2–3 times more likely to sustain serious overuse injuries compared with multisport peers.
Burnout and mental health: Specialization is also linked to higher rates of burnout, stress, and dropout.
Skill development: Multisport participation through early adolescence may improve overall motor skills in addition to reducing overall injury risk.
Rest and recovery: Encourage parents to ensure athletes have at least 1–2 days off per week and 2–3 months away from organized sport per year (not necessarily consecutive). This promotes recovery and balanced development.

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Reviewed September 2025 by David L. Bernholt, MD

Sports Tips are brought to you by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. They provide general information only and are not a substitute for your own good judgment or consultation with a physician.

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