AANA Fellowship Education - Overuse Injuries: Too Fast, Too Hard, Too Much!-Overuse Injuries: Too Fast, Too Hard, Too Much!

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The Mardi Gras edition of the Anna Fellowship Education Series focused on overuse injuries in young athletes, emphasizing "too fast, too hard, too much" activity. Esteemed faculty from New Orleans and other top institutions presented on common overuse injuries including elbow UCL tears, little league arm conditions, tibial stress fractures, scapular dyskinesis, and partial rotator cuff tears. <br /><br />Dr. Michael Freehill reviewed little league shoulder and elbow injuries linked to sports specialization and excessive pitching with emphasis on the delicate nature of the growth plate in young throwers. He stressed non-operative treatment with rest is typical, but surgery might be considered depending on fracture severity.<br /><br />Dr. Buddy Savoie detailed medial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries in young pitchers, highlighting repair with internal brace techniques as an effective approach for returning athletes to play quicker than reconstruction. He also discussed rehabilitation protocols, timing considerations by season, and selective use of PRP for partial ligament tears.<br /><br />Dr. Matthew Sulzler covered tibial stress fractures common in runners, advocating MRI for grading severity to guide return-to-play timelines. He emphasized recognizing relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) as an underlying cause and highlighted non-operative management with rest, orthotics, and nutrition while noting surgery is reserved for recalcitrant cases due to complications.<br /><br />Dr. Freehill addressed scapular dyskinesis and shoulder injuries related to using the arm year-round. He stressed the importance of assessing and correcting kinetic chain deficits—from hip and core to scapular mechanics—to alleviate symptoms and avoid surgery. Rehabilitation focuses on posture correction, strengthening, and proper pitching mechanics.<br /><br />Clinical cases illustrated management challenges, including deciding when to operate on stress fractures or growth plate injuries and arthroscopic treatment of valgus extension overload in a tennis player. The series underscored individualized shared decision-making balancing athlete goals, injury severity, and timing.<br /><br />Overall, the program highlighted expert insights into diagnosing, preventing, and managing pediatric overuse injuries with a multidisciplinary, evidence-informed, and patient-centered approach.

Asset Caption

Michael J. O'Brien, M.D. | Felix H. Savoie III, M.D. | Michael T. Freehill, M.D. | Matthew J. Salzler, M.D.

Keywords

Mardi Gras Anna Fellowship Education Series

overuse injuries

young athletes

elbow UCL tears

little league arm

tibial stress fractures

scapular dyskinesis

partial rotator cuff tears

sports specialization

non-operative treatment