Children in aquatic sport

[Wilfred Arzaga]

Children in aquatic sport: a shared clinical responsibility

Watch a video of this presentationAquatic sport typically attracts young participants. Children acquire skills from an early age with, for the most part, very positive outcomes. Swimming provides an excellent stimulus for musculoskeletal and motor development as well as ensuring the safety of children in aquatic leisure activities. Young sufferers of asthma also commonly benefit from swimming. The subsequent progression to formalised, competitive swimming carries a small but significant potential for health risks that are the focus of this paper. Whilst the developing musculoskeletal system responds positively to the biomechanical stimulus of exercise, there are recognised levels of “tolerance” that provide a sensible framework for strategies to avoid typical “overuse” injuries. This is a shared responsibility for coach, parent and physician. The young swimmer is prone to clinical entities such as "swimmer's shoulder," "butterfly swimmer's back," and "breastroker's knee." Coaches play an integral part in recognising the early indicators of these injuries and may assist in their prevention. No less debilitating for the preadolescent swimmer are the “non-orthopaedic” clinical problems that may affect training and competitive progress. Common amongst these are chronic viral infections, acute or chronic aural infections, dermatological problems, asthma, anaemia and chronic fatigue syndrome with its attendant psychological implications. Clear guidelines for medical management and the use of permitted medications in accordance with the WADA drug list are also relevant.