Playing with pain not good for kids.

Professional athletes are admired for their ability to continue to perform while injured. A football player making tackles with a cast on his hand or a basketball player going full tilt with a brace on his knee are prime examples.

Professional athletes "play hurt" because it's their job. When it comes to children, however, handling injuries is an entirely different matter, maintains Mark Anderson, a physical therapist and sports medicine specialist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

In an era of astronomical salaries for professionals in sports, young athletes today are pressured--by their peers, parents, and coaches--to perform flawlessly in the hope that someday they might be able to achieve glory and the rewards that go with it. That pressure often includes an urging to play despite pain from injury.

Anderson warns that children can face a lifetime of pain--both physical and psychological--when they suffer an injury or fail to meet expectations placed on them. Overuse of limbs, such as arms, is a common cause of injuries to young athletes, especially in baseball. "Coaches need to be aware of the dangers of asking a...