The Impact of Overtraining on Injury Rates in School-Age Athletes-A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sports Medicine
• Sports Injury Epidemiology
• Youth Athlete Health

Background:

• Increasing youth participation in sports.
• Early sport specialization and overtraining linked to higher injury risk.
• Limited research on overtraining's impact on youth athlete injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• Review existing literature on overtraining and injury prevalence in young athletes (ages 7-14).
• Synthesize current evidence regarding the influence of training load on youth sports injuries.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of publications from January 2015 to March 2025.
• Searches conducted across PubMed, Science-Direct, and Scopus databases.
• Analysis of five selected publications focusing on training load and injury incidence.

Main Results:

• Three studies analyzed training load's influence on injury incidence.
• One study explored the link between training and femoral neck deformities.
• Four publications reported negative effects of training load; one found no effect.

Conclusions:

• Evidence suggests a potential link between high training loads and increased injury risk in young athletes.
• The relationship between training load and injuries is multifactorial.
• Further research is needed to clarify the complex interplay of factors.