Interesting article by Tom Goldman: Young Athletes Risk Back Injury By Playing Too Much : Shots - Health News : NPR

 

There were a couple of recommendations offered by Dr. Jayanthi that seemed like reasonable "rules of thumb" regarding participation levels:

 

1. "Young athletes can reduce the risk of back injuries by not spending more hours a week than their age playing sports, Jayanthi says. They also should not spend more than twice as much time playing organized sports as they spend in gym class and unorganized play."

 

2. "Jayanthi also recommends something that many young athletes and parents would find inconceivable – don't specialize in one sport before late adolescence."

News flash, Sports hurt and cause injuries