The Key to Junior Athlete Rehab
I’ve seen a steady numbers of 12–15-year-old athletes at K-Flow Therapy lately, most coming in with sore knees, tight calves, or that familiar Osgood-Schlatter bump below the kneecap.
They’re training hard, growing fast, and their bodies are simply trying to catch up.
Parents arrive doing all the right things, and naturally ask:
“What should I be doing to help?”
“Should I be stretching them?”
“Do they need to take time off?”
“Should we book more treatment?”
Those questions come from love and responsibility — nothing wrong with that.
But this age group requires a shift in thinking.
This isn’t a time where kids should be looked after.
It’s a time when they need to learn how to look after themselves.
Growing pains aren’t a crisis — they’re a lesson
Around 13-15 years old, the body is in overdrive:
Bones lengthen faster than muscles adapt
Tendons get cranky
Control and coordination lag behind growth
Strength tends to drop before it climbs
Pain in this period rarely means something is “wrong.”
It usually means growth is happening.
So instead of trying to completely remove discomfort, the goal becomes:
Teach the young athlete how to manage their own body, now and for the future.
Why “doing it for them” not good?
When pain shows up, parents often jump straight into action:
Stretching the kid’s legs for them
Telling them what they can and can’t do
Doing all the planning
Explaining the pain to the therapist
Making all the calls on rest and training
Short-term, that feels helpful.
Long-term, it stops kids from learning the one skill they absolutely need as athletes:
Self-management.
If the parent is always:
analysing,
solving,
planning,
reminding…
The child never has to.
They don’t develop that inner compass all successful athletes use:
“How do I feel today?”
“What does this ache mean?”
“What can I still do?”
“When do I need help?”
That compass doesn’t magically appear at age 18.
It’s built slowly, right here, right now.
Reality check: Pros aren’t handheld
Many parents picture a future where their kid joins a rep side, academy or pro club and gets fully managed.
Here’s the truth:
Most pros aren’t monitored 24/7
They train tired
They play with soreness
They rehab between training sessions
They only see trainers when they ask
And yes, sometimes no one checks in
A professional athlete is basically a small business.
Their body is their money maker.
If it breaks, their career stalls.
No one fixes it for them.
The players who last for long are not just the most talented, they’re the ones who know their body and take responsibility for it.
And that starts way before they sign a contract.
So where do parents fit?
Not as helicopters, managers, personal physios and appointment schedulers
But as safety nets
A great parent of a young athlete:
teaches skills gradually
gives space to try and fail
lets the kid lead decisions
only steps in when needed
stays supportive rather than controlling them
Kids rise to the level of responsibility they’re trusted with.
Independence beats talent in the long run
At this age, a kid might shine because:
they’re fast,
they’re tall,
they’ve got a strong kick.
But at 18–20, everyone catches up.
The separating factors become:
consistency
resilience
ability to train through niggles
knowing when to push and when to pull back
sticking with the sport instead of burning out
Those aren’t traits parents can give them.
They’re traits kids have to develop themselves.
Bottom line
If your child wants to keep climbing the ladders whether it’s local club footy or dreaming bigger, the most valuable gift you can offer isn’t constant help.
I think it’s gradually stepping back.
Let them:
stretch without being asked
communicate pain to coaches and club trainers
take ownership of rehab plans
learn from mistakes
build confidence through doing, not watching
And remind them “It’s your body. You’ve only got one. Learn it, look after it, and it’ll take you anywhere you want.”
We’ll always be here when they need a reset, but the real win is when they don’t need us very often.
