Dr Etienne Du Preez is a Sports Physician based in Sydney. In this episode we talk about low back or lumbar spine stress fractures. What this injury is, how to best manage and treat a low back stress fracture, and the long-term implications of this injury.

Here's what we discuss in this episode:

• What is a Sports Physician and what do they do?
• Lumbar spine stress fractures are more than just one condition
• How common are lumbar spine stress fractures?
• How normal is it for young people to have back pain?
• What % of young athletes will experience a lumbar spine stress fracture?
• How concerned should I be as a parent if my young athlete has a stress fracture?
• What are the long-term implications of lumbar spine stress fractures?
• How long does a lumbar spine stress fracture take to heal?
• The impact of this injury on the injured young athlete and their families
• Ways of helping injured young athletes cope
• If my son/daughter tells me they have a sore back what is a good way to manage this?
• Do I need to go straight to a physio or GP?
• Initial management strategies when you have a young athlete with a sore back
• When to look for assessment and treatment from a practitioner
• Should I get an x-ray for low back pain in young athlete?
• If the x-ray is clear, are we in the clear?
• As a coach, what things should I keep in mind to look after the young athletes?
• As a coach, what things do I keep in mind if I have an athlete who has had a stress fracture previously?
• The critical importance of coaches in the prevention and management of stress fractures
• 5 key things that can relate or contribute to stress fractures
• How much do growth spurts or growing pains contribute to stress fractures
• Load Management – How much, how hard, how often young athletes are training and playing
• Parents pivotal role in managing the load of young athletes
• The importance of sleep and the concept of sleep hygiene
• Playing a wide variety of sports is better for young athletes overall development vs early specialisation in 1 sport only early in their life

Resources

Dr Etienne Du Preez

Stadium Sports Medicine Clinic

North Sydney Sports Medicine

CT Scans and Radiation Exposure

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/ctscansforkids

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/ct-scans-for-parents-and-carers

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https://bounceclinic.com.au/

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