Fall Sports Season: What Parents and Young Athletes Should Know

New Jersey's high school fall sports season runs from mid-August practice starts through late November or early December, and for young athletes in Morris and Sussex County that is a long stretch of practices, games and travel. Most aches that show up in that window are ordinary overuse complaints, and most respond well to conservative, non-surgical care when they are caught early instead of pushed through.

Fall sports in New Jersey high schools include football, soccer, field hockey, cross country, girls tennis and girls volleyball, and each brings its own pattern of wear. Runners and soccer players see heel, shin and knee complaints; volleyball players get knee and ankle strains; football and field hockey bring contact-related aches; cross country and soccer players deal with shin splints and stress reactions. None of these are unusual, but common does not mean ignore it.

The complaints Dr. Greg sees most in young athletes are heel pain (often a condition called Sever's disease in growing kids), knee pain around the kneecap or growth plate (including Osgood-Schlatter disease), shin splints, and lower back stiffness from training volume or repeated impact. The key sign for a parent is change: pain that alters how a young athlete runs, jumps, cuts or sleeps, or pain that lingers well into the next day.

For a young athlete, early evaluation is usually the least disruptive path. A movement-based evaluation can identify what is tight, weak or restricted and give parents a straight answer about whether rest, adjustment or a check with another provider is the right next step. It can also help catch a small problem before it becomes a lost season.

Dr. Gregory Martin has practiced chiropractic since 1996 and has served as the official chiropractor of Parisi's Speed School of Morris Plains, so he is used to the demands of speed and strength training in young athletes. Care for kids is conservative and collaborative: he talks with parents, evaluates how the spine and joints move, and recommends honestly, including when chiropractic care is not the right next step.

If your young athlete is limping through practice or guarding a joint during games, an evaluation is worth the time. Dr. Greg sees patients at Gregory Martin Chiropractic at 283 Sparta Avenue in Sparta and at Speedwell Family Chiropractic at 520 Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains. Call or text (973) 699-4100 to schedule.