Primary Care Considerations for the Pediatric Endurance Athlete

This study aimed to provide an overview of some of the medical concerns surrounding the care of the pediatric endurance athletes and add to the limited literature specific to the pediatric endurance athlete.

Endurance athletes are at risk for overtraining, relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), overuse injuries, nutritional deficiencies, and sleep dysfunction. Youth runners and female endurance athletes are particularly high-risk populations for RED-S; nutritional deficiencies and their care should involve thoughtful mitigation of modifiable risk factors. The growing endurance athlete may experience slightly different cardiac adaptations than the adult endurance athlete with the long-term implications of these changes still unclear.

Endurance sports are common among youth athletes. Multidisciplinary care that includes screening and early intervention for high-risk areas is critical to optimize their care and promote, safe lifelong sport participation.