Doctors treat growth spurts that cause problems for young athletes

Parents know that growth spurts can be awkward times for their kids.

But for some, a rapid growth spurt can really throw off a child’s athletic ability and challenge their dreams.

15-year-old Kyle Goodwin is a very successful competitive diver from Centennial.

When he was 12, he grew five inches in six months.

His dives were thrown completely off. He didn’t’ have much muscle mass. He started having joint and balance problems, and his back just couldn’t take it.

“I kept thinking what if this never goes away,” he said. That’s when his family took him to see Dr. Brooke Pengel at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children.

Growth spurts are something she talks about every week at her pediatric sports medicine clinic. “It’s a fixable problem, it just needs to be identified,” Dr Pengel said.

She got Kyle doing stretches, strength training and physical therapy. Therapists worked hard to improve stability, flexibility and core strength.

Now Kyle is back with a splash, and dreaming of the 2016 Olympics.