Prevalence and Consequences of Sport Specialization Among Adolescent Athletes

Abstract: Dr. Bell will discuss his research focusing on sport specialization and how his practice has become ubiquitous in all aspects of youth sports. He will discuss links with musculoskeletal injury and the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of different youth sport stakeholders towards sport specialization. Finally, he will offer recommendations to avoid injury.

Biography: Dr. David Bell is an Associate Professor in the departments of Kinesiology and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He teaches in the Athletic Training Program and serves as the director of the Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory. His research is focused on identifying risk factors for knee injury including neuromuscular asymmetries and sport specialization. Additionally, he is focused on improving outcomes after knee surgery including refining rehabilitation strategies, return to activity guidelines, and risk factors for second ACL injuries.