The Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes is the first pediatric clinic for sports injuries in Northern California, and star athletes said it is needed.

Olympic gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin, 22, remembers injuring her left shoulder at age 16, 1 1/2 years before the Sydney Olympic trials. She was told to stay out of the pool for six weeks -- an impossible request.

"I jumped around to a bunch of different rehab centers -- mostly that focused on carpal tunnel, not on athletes," she said. "When you get to the college level there are facilities to care for you, but not for kids."

Tim Brown, former Oakland Raiders star and now a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said he was injured at age 14 -- the same year he grew 4 inches over one summer.

He said there were no rehab facilities then. "They sent you in a corner until you were well enough to play again."

The clinic, a division of the hospital's pediatric orthopedic surgery department, evaluates, treats and rehabilitates children and teens with sports injuries. It also develops injury prevention programs specifically for kids, whose growing bones and cartilage are more susceptible to injuries.

Dr. Christy Boyd, director of the center and former member of the Stanford University sports medicine team, said even a 17-year-old has different treatment needs than an adult.

"It's a matter of knowing when it's OK to play through the pain," Boyd said. "An aching knee for a child can mean a significant injury."

The clinic began seeing patients two months ago and has since treated more than 100 children and teens, both in Oakland and at an outpatient clinic in Pleasanton. The most common injuries are fractured elbows and problems with knee cartilage.

Coaches are referring their young players to the clinic.

"It's tough to find someplace to take injured kids that's between a surgeon and a physical therapist," said Jeff Pick, who runs the Baseball Academy in Orinda and coaches players from age 9 up through college and pro.

Nikki Johnson, 14, of Alameda, was sidelined from playing soccer two months ago by tendinitis in her left leg where her quadricep attaches to her knee cap, she said.

She went to her pediatrician at the time of the injury, who told her to ice it and treat it with ibuprofen. She was later referred to the new clinic.

Johnson is now at the clinic twice a week for physical therapy, such as riding a stationary bike, to improve her leg strength. She will soon know through more tests if she'll need four more months of therapy before returning to the field.

For a girl whose been playing soccer since age 4, the time out isn't easy.

"I feel depressed because it's something I love so much," she said. "To sit on the sidelines and watch is hard."

Tim Brown knows what that's like, but said it's important for young athletes to have a place to get treated for their injuries.

"If I had a place like this, then maybe my right leg wouldn't be longer than my left leg," he said.

Contact Rebecca Vesely at## rvesely@angnewspapers.com .

The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
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