Common Lower Extremity Injuries in the Skeletally Immature Athlete

Lower extremity musculoskeletal pain is a common complaint in the adolescent athlete. During rapid growth, several common biomechanical changes occur that may predispose to overuse injury. Unlike fractures, most of these office-based sports medicine complaints are initially evaluated by the primary care provider. This review discusses several of the most common complaints and briefly discusses some clinically significant conditions that masquerade as common injuries. The article discusses only the injuries unique to the growing athlete. The article's goal is to help develop a framework for the pediatric clinician to evaluate common complaints and formulate a plan that includes simple stretches and physical therapy recommendations.