Health
Burnout and overtraining are forcing young athletes to drop out of sports, new report reveals
With some 70% of teenagers and children dropping out of organized sports by age 13, experts are chiming in on potential reasons for early burnout.
The dropout stat was revealed in a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) — “Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes” — published in the journal Pediatrics on Jan. 22.
Given the growing trend of young athletes participating on multiple teams at the same time while training year-round, pediatricians told Fox News Digital they’re seeing more cases of burnout and stress injuries at young age.
FROM HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS TO YOUTH ATHLETICS: THE ‘CRUSHING’ PRESSURE ON KIDS THAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW
“Burnout is real and it’s something that parents and coaches have to be attuned to,” Dr. James Barsi, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital on Long Island, New York, who is not affiliated with the AAP report, said to Fox News Digital.
A current quarterback of a high school football team, who also plays travel baseball on Long Island, New York, said he sees burnout among some of his peers.
Approximately 70% of teenagers and children drop out of organized sports by the age of 13, a new report found. (iStock)
“[There’s] definitely pressure on kids these days because they’re trying to be the best athlete they can be and it’s just always on their shoulders, like, ‘I gotta train more and more to be the best,’” he said, adding that his former teammates told him they “just can’t do it anymore.”
The AAP report, which was an update to a previous report published in 2007, said overscheduling and excessive levels of training could lead to burnout, contributing to the high dropout rate in sports.
This intense volume of training could also affect a young athlete’s sense of well-being and quality of life, the report noted.
There’s a growing trend of young athletes participating in multiple teams at the same time — and pediatricians say they are seeing more cases of burnout and stress injuries. (iStock)
“Whether training is specialized or multisport, it becomes a problem when an athlete no longer has any free play time or opportunity to engage in other non-sport-related activities,” Dr. Andrew Watson, M.D., co-author of the report, said in a news release.
“The old saying ‘no pain, no gain’ doesn’t necessarily hold true.”
Some level of stress can be productive, experts agree — but excessive amounts can become a problem.
“Athletic competition and training will always prompt some stress that, when delivered in an appropriate way, leads to adaptation, success and enjoyment,” Watson said
“When that stress becomes excessive, it can lead to burnout.”
The new AAP report noted that overscheduling and excessive levels of training could lead to burnout, contributing to the high dropout rate in sports among young people. (iStock)
The AAP defines overtraining as “a decrease in performance due to an imbalance of training and recovery that is often accompanied by persistent fatigue, impaired sleep and alterations in mood.”
Dr. Kristin Hopkins, director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at Stony Brook Medicine and team physician at Stony Brook University athletics on Long Island, New York, was not affiliated with the report but commented on it.
She said that in today’s sports landscape, there is “no off-season” for kids who are passionate about one sport and have aspirations to play that sport in college — which can leave young athletes at risk for burnout and injuries.
KIDS WHO CONSUME ENERGY DRINKS ARE MORE PRONE TO MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, STUDY FINDS
“That sort of continuous play can put kids’ joints at risk for what we call overuse injuries, things we weren’t really seeing before, because a kid would play a sport for a season and then move on to another sport and use a different muscle group,” Hopkins told Fox News Digital.
‘Micro-trauma’ to bone and soft tissue
An overuse injury typically occurs when the body is exposed to repetitive stress without enough recovery time, the AAP noted.
This can lead to “cumulative micro-trauma” to bone and soft tissue, such as muscles or tendons.
Pain typically occurs after an activity and then progresses to occurring even at rest, the report said.
A New York pediatric orthopedic surgeon said he is seeing spine stress fractures about 10 times a month.
Children and adolescents are at an increased risk for these types of injuries because their bones are still growing and do not tolerate stress as well as adults’ bones, experts said.
“I’m seeing spine stress fractures about 10 times a month,” Barsi, the pediatric surgeon, told Fox News Digital, amid what he called an “increasing epidemic” of overuse injuries in kids.
It is important that athletes incorporate rest days and stretching in their workout regimen, physicians said. (iStock)
Recovery from this type of injury typically requires rest, said Barsi, which is a difficult message to deliver to a young teen who feels pressure to perform and maintain a spot on a sports team.
“I always emphasize the long-term picture,” Barsi said. “A brief period of rest in the short term is probably better for them.”
He added, “If injuries progress, it can cause long-term harm — then instead of missing a few weeks, they might be missing an entire season.”
“I tell parents and kids that if you’re playing one sport for more hours of a week than your age, you’re doing too much of that sport.”
It’s important that athletes incorporate rest days and stretching in their workout regimen, physicians said.
NEW OHIO LAW REQUIRES COACHES TO GET MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING TO HELP STUDENT ATHLETES: ‘SUPPORT OUR KIDS’
“So often, these kids are really tight at baseline, which is probably a combination of not stretching, going through a little bit of a growth spurt and just getting tight naturally,” Barsi said. “When you’re tight, you get predisposed to these injuries, so stretching can actually prevent them.”
He also said athletes should listen to their bodies.
“Pain is their body’s way of telling them to take it easy,” he said. “The old saying ‘no pain, no gain’ doesn’t necessarily hold true.”
An intense volume of training could affect a young athlete’s sense of well-being and quality of life, the new report noted. (iStock)
Dr. Joel Brenner, M.D., one of the authors of the published report, noted in the release, “Sports are such a powerful and fun motivator to keep youth physically and mentally active, but some youth may feel pressure from parents, coaches and others to measure success only by performance.”
Practices like mindfulness and time away from sports could help prevent burnout and injuries, he suggested.
Hopkins said avoiding burnout and overtraining starts at home.
“I tell parents and kids that if you’re playing one sport for more hours of a week than your age, you’re doing too much of that sport.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Both experts recommended incorporating weight training to help strengthen muscles.
The young athletes should also work with an experienced trainer, said Hopkins, who can monitor the athlete’s form to avoid injuries.
The athletes should “avoid ego lifting” and gradually build up weight resistance, noted Barsi.
If an athlete displays signs of overtraining or burnout, it’s best to change the contributing factors and consult with a mental health professional if needed, the AAP advised. (iStock)
For clinicians working with families, the AAP report included specific recommendations to help encourage healthy participation in athletics.
Some suggestions include having the athlete undergo a pre-participation exam by their pediatrician, promoting skill development and avoiding overtraining and overscheduling.
Other means of preventing burnout and injury include encouraging athletic autonomy; fostering positive experiences with coaches, parents and peers; and keeping workouts interesting and fun by incorporating age-appropriate games and training.
If an athlete displays signs of overtraining or burnout, it’s best to change the contributing factors and consult with a mental health professional if needed, the AAP advised.
Fox News Digital reached out to the AAP for additional comment.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
MARTHA STEWART SHARES 7 TIPS FOR AGING WELL: ‘LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD, BE GOOD’
“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
LONELINESS MAY BE SILENTLY ERODING YOUR MEMORY, NEW RESEARCH REVEALS
Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
GRANDPARENTS WHO BABYSIT THEIR GRANDCHILDREN STAY MENTALLY SHARPER, NEW STUDY REVEALS
“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
EXPERTS REVEAL HIDDEN LINK BETWEEN POOR SLEEP AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RISK
The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
DEMENTIA RISK SIGNALS COULD LIE IN SIMPLE BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS, SAY RESEARCHERS
Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
-
New Hampshire2 minutes ago
NH Lottery Pick 3 Day, Pick 3 Evening winning numbers for April 19, 2026
-
New Jersey8 minutes ago
NJ Lottery Pick-3, Pick-4, Cash 5, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Sunday, April 19
-
New Mexico14 minutes agoLos Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
-
North Carolina20 minutes ago
NC Lottery Pick 3 Day, Pick 3 Evening results for April 19, 2026
-
North Dakota26 minutes agoWindy conditions fuel shop fire in rural Mapleton
-
Ohio32 minutes agoWanda Lou Bailey, Louisville, Ohio
-
Oklahoma38 minutes agoCord Rager’s Return, Consistent Hitting Earns Oklahoma First SEC Sweep of Missouri
-
Oregon44 minutes agoSmall Oregon town residents’ trust shaken as state sues disaster nonprofit founder