The Young Athlete

Book excerpt: This essential new volume in the Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine series, published under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee, provides a thorough overview of the unique physiologic characteristics, responsiveness to training, and possible health hazards involved in the training, coaching, and medical care of young athletes. Intense involvement in competitive sports often begins during childhood. During adolescence, many athletes reach their peak performance and some may participate in World Championships and Olympic Games at a relatively young age. The Young Athlete presents the available information relevant to exercise and training in youth, reviewed and summarized by authors who are recognized as leaders in their respective fields. The Young Athlete is subdivided into seven parts covering: the physiologic bases of physical performance in view of growth and development; trainability and the consequences of a high level of physical activity during childhood and adolescence for future health; the epidemiology of injuries, their prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; non-orthopedic health concerns including the pre-participation examination; psychosocial issues relevant to young athletes; diseases relevant to child and adolescent athletes; the methodology relevant to the assessment of young athletes. This valuable reference summarizes a large database of information from thousands of studies and is especially relevant to sports physicians, pediatricians, general practitioners, physical therapists, dietitians, coaches, students, and researchers in the exercise sciences.