Q: My 10-year-old daughter is a fearless skier who often pushes the limits on the mountain with her jumps. I’ve heard that the impact from jumping can be hard on kids who are still growing. Do you have any advice?
A: Having a hard-charging 10-year-old can be a source of pride and stress in equal measure, and it’s natural to worry about the effect of all that impact.
Fortunately, jumping impact by itself is generally beneficial and not harmful to the bones of a growing child. The impact loading from jumping is actually one of the most effective stimuli for building bone during childhood.
To set your daughter up for a long and healthy relationship with aggressive skiing, follow these tips:
Helmets. Head and neck trauma is a leading cause of serious or even fatal injuries in children, so this should be non-negotiable.
Properly fitted and correctly adjusted equipment. Match skis, boots and especially binding release settings appropriately—mismatched or poorly adjusted bindings can contribute to lower-extremity trauma.
Formal instruction and technique. Investing in solid coaching on collision avoidance, fall technique and speed control can reduce injuries.
Build in rest and recovery. To prevent overuse and growth-plate stress injuries, incorporate 1–2 days off per week and 2–3 months off from the sport per year, and avoid year-round single-sport specialization.
Neuromuscular/strength training. Regular balance and agility training lowers injury risk and benefits bone health.
Watch for growth spurts. Short-term dips in coordination can happen during rapid growth in kids. Consider dialing back the biggest jumps during that window since risk may be higher.
Manage the environment. Avoid overcrowded slopes and situations that encourage excessive speed, and don’t allow her to ski through persistent knee or lower back pain.
The overall message from the research is reassuring: the long-term benefits of high-impact youth sports outweigh the risks.
Q: My daughter is very athletic and wants to play both softball and volleyball. I’m afraid this is too much for her, but I see other parents allowing their kids to join multiple teams. How do we prioritize adequate rest and recovery?
A: I have good news for you: The American Academy of Pediatrics supports multi-sport participation and considers it protective—not excessive—as long as the combined schedule maintains weekly and yearly rest, limits her to one sport per day and avoids overlapping seasons that eliminate recovery days.
Playing multiple sports, like both softball and volleyball, is recommended over specializing in a single sport before puberty, because participating in multiple sports decreases the chances of injuries, stress and burnout.
Here are some ways to keep her schedule manageable:
Allow no more than one sport per day with at least one full day off per week. The main risk with simultaneous participation on multiple teams is that overlapping schedules eliminate rest days, which are necessary for recovery.
Take 2–3 months off from each individual sport per year. These can be taken in 1-month increments. Having two sports in different seasons naturally builds this in—when one sport is in its off-season, she is resting that set of movement patterns, which is part of the benefit of diversification.
Treat the two schedules as one combined load. The AAP is explicit that if an athlete plays on more than one team, the sessions should not fall on the same day, and the combined participation time must be folded into the weekly and yearly rest guidelines above.
Recovery is not just time off.
Sleep, nutrition and hydration are very important factors, as well.
Watch for warning signs of overtraining/burnout. Be alert for muscle or joint pain, persistent fatigue, declining performance, mood changes, poor sleep or falling school performance—these suggest the balance has tipped toward too much. Keeping the focus on fun, skill-building and sportsmanship rather than winning is itself protective against burnout.
Q: My son often says, “It’s fine” after football practice, even when I can tell something hurts. How do I know when it’s OK to let him keep playing when he’s in pain?
A: Because kids routinely minimize symptoms to stay in the game, the safest approach is to judge by what you can observe (how he moves, how he functions or whether a joint is noticeably swollen) rather than relying on his “It’s fine,” and to apply a stricter, non-negotiable standard to anything involving a blow to the head.
Use the framework at home. Ordinary soreness and mild overuse pain typically ease as he warms up and fade within a day or so. Pain that worsens with continued play, persists afterward or visibly changes his gait is a stop sign. The pain-guided principle clinicians use for bone injuries captures this well—progress only while pain-free during and after activity; any return of pain means stepping back.
How to get an accurate read from a kid who says “It’s fine.”
Rather than asking “Does it hurt?”, ask him to show you the exact spot, watch him run, hop and squat and compare sides for swelling and strength. Note whether he’s quietly favoring a limb, dropping speed or accuracy or losing enthusiasm—changes in performance and mood can be the first real signal of an overuse problem he won’t volunteer.
When in doubt, a brief period of relative rest is recommended: true soreness resolves in days, while an injury persists.
When to have a clinician evaluate him. If he has significant pain and swelling, a limp, a joint that feels unstable or pain in one specific spot or on a bone, have a healthcare professional check him. Pain that occurs at rest or wakes him at night or that doesn’t improve after a week or two of rest, also deserves attention. Any suspected concussion should be evaluated immediately, and he should stop playing until cleared to return.
Burke Selbst, PT, OCS, GCFP, is a board-certified orthopedic physical therapy specialist and co-owner of Focus Physical Therapy in Bend, Oregon. In addition to his clinical work, Burke travels internationally as a therapist and soigneur for USA Cycling and as a team therapist for USA Surfing, helping athletes perform at their best. Learn more about Burke and Focus Physical Therapy at focusptbend.com.
Here are some ways to keep her schedule manageable:
Allow no more than one sport per day with at least one full day off per week. The main risk with simultaneous participation on multiple teams is that overlapping schedules eliminate rest days, which are necessary for recovery.
Take 2–3 months off from each individual sport per year. These can be taken in 1-month increments. Having two sports in different seasons naturally builds this in—when one sport is in its off-season, she is resting that set of movement patterns, which is part of the benefit of diversification.
Treat the two schedules as one combined load. The AAP is explicit that if an athlete plays on more than one team, the sessions should not fall on the same day, and the combined participation time must be folded into the weekly and yearly rest guidelines above.
Recovery is not just time off.
Sleep, nutrition and hydration are very important factors, as well.
Watch for warning signs of overtraining/burnout. Be alert for muscle or joint pain, persistent fatigue, declining performance, mood changes, poor sleep or falling school performance—these suggest the balance has tipped toward too much. Keeping the focus on fun, skill-building and sportsmanship rather than winning is itself protective against burnout.
Q: My son often says, “It’s fine” after football practice, even when I can tell something hurts. How do I know when it’s OK to let him keep playing when he’s in pain?
A: Because kids routinely minimize symptoms to stay in the game, the safest approach is to judge by what you can observe (how he moves, how he functions or whether a joint is noticeably swollen) rather than relying on his “It’s fine,” and to apply a stricter, non-negotiable standard to anything involving a blow to the head.
Use the framework at home. Ordinary soreness and mild overuse pain typically ease as he warms up and fade within a day or so. Pain that worsens with continued play, persists afterward or visibly changes his gait is a stop sign. The pain-guided principle clinicians use for bone injuries captures this well—progress only while pain-free during and after activity; any return of pain means stepping back.
How to get an accurate read from a kid who says “It’s fine.”
Rather than asking “Does it hurt?”, ask him to show you the exact spot, watch him run, hop and squat and compare sides for swelling and strength. Note whether he’s quietly favoring a limb, dropping speed or accuracy or losing enthusiasm—changes in performance and mood can be the first real signal of an overuse problem he won’t volunteer.
When in doubt, a brief period of relative rest is recommended: true soreness resolves in days, while an injury persists.
When to have a clinician evaluate him. If he has significant pain and swelling, a limp, a joint that feels unstable or pain in one specific spot or on a bone, have a healthcare professional check him. Pain that occurs at rest or wakes him at night or that doesn’t improve after a week or two of rest, also deserves attention. Any suspected concussion should be evaluated immediately, and he should stop playing until cleared to return.
Burke Selbst, PT, OCS, GCFP, is a board-certified orthopedic physical therapy specialist and co-owner of Focus Physical Therapy in Bend, Oregon. In addition to his clinical work, Burke travels internationally as a therapist and soigneur for USA Cycling and as a team therapist for USA Surfing, helping athletes perform at their best. Learn more about Burke and Focus Physical Therapy at focusptbend.com.
This article appears in Bend Nest Winter 2026.
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