Most injuries to the young athlete do have a benign natural course--complete resolution of the difficulty without sequelae. In order to develop a contemporary program of management of the more serious disorders in this active population, the practitioner must be certain to carefully analyze the injury and initiate a rapid course of action. A fracture of the tibia must be reduced, held aligned, and then rehabilitated. A compartment syndrome commonly demands early fasciotomy; the young athlete and his or her parents warrant a sensitive understanding from physicians to quell the anxiety that is paramount to all of these disorders.