These days sports seasons extend the entire year.

Young athletes are either playing competitively, or practicing and preparing for the next season. And that leaves young athletes susceptible to overuse injuries.

Matthew Axtman, DO, non-operative sports medicine specialist, says all that repetitive motion is wearing down student athletes, whose bones are still growing.

Doctors recommend that young athletes take off at least a month every year to allow their bodies to recover. That recommendation is often met with resistance from parents and students, who worry about losing a competitive edge, Axtman says.

But continued overuse can lead to other injuries, he says, and a healthy child is the best possible outcome.