Evidence Hub
Evidence-informed articles on youth rehab and performance.
Written for parents first, in plain English: what the research actually says about adolescent injury, rehabilitation and safe strength training, and what it means for your young athlete. Coaches are welcome too.
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15 articles
Hypermobility and Growth-Related Injuries: Key Recommendations for Parents
Bendy joints and a growth spurt are a common combination behind knee, heel and back pain in young athletes. Here is why the two interact, and what parents can do about it.
What Is a Growth Spurt (PHV) and Why Does It Matter for My Child's Training?
Peak height velocity is the fastest point of your child's growth spurt, and it is the period when growth-related injuries cluster. Here is how to spot it and what to change in their week.
When Bones Finish Growing: Ossification Timing in Adolescent Boys and Girls
Growth plates do not all close at once. Knowing roughly when each one hardens, and that girls run about two years ahead of boys, explains why certain injuries appear at certain ages.
Why Do Growth-Related Injuries Happen?
Growth-related injuries are not bad luck. They are the predictable result of demand outrunning capacity at a specific point in development.
Can You Prevent Growth-Related Injuries in Young Athletes?
You cannot prevent growth. You can meaningfully change the odds, and the things that work are simpler and cheaper than most parents expect.
Adolescent Knee Pain: Red Flags That Need Assessment
Most adolescent knee pain is load-related and self-limiting. A short list of features should prompt clinical assessment instead.
Knee Pain in Children: The Common Causes and What to Do Next
Where the knee hurts tells you most of what you need to know. This is the parent's map of the four or five things that account for the vast majority of knee pain in young athletes.
Why Do Growing Children Get Knee and Heel Pain?
Knee and heel pain cluster in growing athletes for a specific, well-understood reason - and once you understand it, the management makes sense.
How Much Training Is Too Much for a Young Athlete?
There is no universal number - but there are reliable thresholds, warning signs and a simple way to keep track.
Returning to School Sport After the Holidays: How to Safely Build Training Back Up
The first three weeks back are the highest-risk period of the school year. A short ramp-up before term starts changes how that period goes.
Rest vs Load Management: Why "Just Rest It" Fails for Apophysitis
Complete rest settles pain and then hands it straight back on return to sport. Progressive loading is what builds tolerance.
Knee Pain in Young Footballers: Common Causes and What to Do
Football concentrates kicking, sprinting and cutting into the same knee, week after week. Here are the causes that actually turn up, and how to tell them apart.
From Injury to Performance: A 3-Phase Approach to Youth Athletic Development
The same three-phase structure takes an athlete from painful to playing, and then from playing to performing better than before.
When Is a Young Athlete Ready to Return to Sport After Injury?
Time since injury is the least useful readiness criterion. These are the tests that actually tell you whether a young athlete is ready.
When Do Growth Plates Close? What Parents and Young Athletes Need to Know
Growth plates close at different ages in different bones, and the window before closure is when most growth-related sports conditions appear.