“My first injury was tendonitis in
my right shoulder when I was 11,” Ivy
recalls. “My arm would feel completely
numb and there was pain inside my
shoulder with each stroke.”
While the condition healed with
rest and physiotherapy, a more serious
issue emerged the following year. The
elongation of her stroke in freestyle
practice caused a reverse spinal
curvature, in turn pinching the nerves
between her ribs and shooting pain
throughout her upper body.
Once again, Ivy had to reduce
her training schedule and miss some
big races which she had been working
towards. “It was an awful, helpless
feeling, because I had put in so much
effort to regain and improve my times
and didn’t need another setback,” she
says. “I knew there was nothing I could
do but try to recover.”
Rising rates
Hong Kong physiotherapist Emma
Drake says sporting injuries in young
athletes are on the rise as kids are
specialising in one sport at a younger
age and training longer and harder
than they ever have before.
“It’s very common for kids in
Hong Kong to be undertaking multiple
training sessions weekly, sometimes
daily, and therefore skills are being
introduced at a much earlier age than
previously,” says Emma.
Kids’ injuries fall into two
categories: there are acute injuries,
which occur suddenly – like breaks,
fractures and sprains – and then there’s
repetitive stress damage, which can
occur over several weeks, months or
years and is caused by a particular
movement that is aggravating the
body.
“That’s why any consistent or
sustained pain needs to be checked out,
and adjustments made,” says Emma.
“It’s easier to rehabilitate a small injury
the first time, rather than an injury
which has been allowed to develop and
worsen.”
Children’s bodies can be
particularly prone to damage during
It’s easier to
rehabilitate a
small injury the
first time, rather
than an injury
which has been
allowed to develop
and worsen.
Photo: Swimmer Ivy Richter, Taipei 2013
June 2014
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