Ways to Help Prevent Children Getting Sports Injuries

Kids these days tend to play their favorite sport all year round due to indoor facilities that can function independently of weather and sport camp offerings year-round. With more time playing sports, though, the risk of injury is higher, especially for knee injuries like ACL or meniscus tears, or labrum or UCL injuries in the shoulder and elbow. In this blog, we compiled suggestions to help your child stay on the field and prevent sports-related injuries. [Read - When Do You Need A Physiotherapist?]

Advice to Help Child Stay Away from Sports Injuries

Teens are prone to get an injury while playing. Here are the guidelines you suggest your child follows to prevent sports injuries. Read here to reduce the risk of injury in kids & teens.

1. Have an Open Communication

Your child should feel comfortable talking with you and getting help if they feel pain or if something doesn’t feel right. Some kids are tough and may feel like they can just push through any pain, but that can actually make a minor injury much worse, so it’s important that parents and children have that open dialogue between them.

2. Get a Physical Before the Sports Season

Getting a physical evaluation before school starts or the sports season is a good way to determine fitness in young athletes. They look to see if there are any concerning areas before starting an activity and if there is a condition where you can get treatment sooner rather than later. 

3. Try Different Sports

If possible, try to encourage your child to try different sports. Kids tend to stick to the same sport year-round, but that means they’re always putting stress on the same muscles and joints instead of changing it up. As a parent, try to limit the number of teams your child’s on and having different sports routines to avoid overusing your young athlete’s muscles. [Read Here - ]

4. Proper Warm-up

Stretching is incredibly important for preventing injuries and should be a habit for all athletes, no matter their age. Share with your child the importance of warming up before a sport or activity, including static and dynamic stretching to loosen your muscles before playing. Static stretches are those that your body is still while you hold a position while dynamic stretches involve continuing to move your body while stretching. 

5. Take Proper Rest Ahead & After

No matter their age, athletes need to rest between games, tournaments, and practices. If you’re not resting enough, you’ll get muscle fatigue, which opens you up to injuries. The most common injuries in young kids are overuse injuries, so it’s important to plan for off-seasons and rest periods. 

6. Proper Diet

According to Gerry Hansen, a sports coach at Academized and State of writing, “athletes should be eating well-balanced, healthy diets which include fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. They should also be eating on a regular schedule every day, especially for sports that are weight-dependent, like wrestling.”

7. Hydrate Yourself

It’s important that hydration is emphasized with your child, because heat-related illnesses can occur, especially on the days that are hotter or more humid. Make sure your child has a lot of water before, during, and after the activity, and keep an eye out for heat illnesses, which include symptoms like fatigue, nausea, vomiting, confusion, or fainting. 

8. Get the Right Equipment

A suggestion from Tania Reeder, an educator at Australian help and Paper Fellows, is that “injury prevention depends a lot on getting the right protective equipment, like helmets, shin pads, and shoes. Speak with the sports coach before the season so you know exactly what you should get and you can make sure to get it all in time and make sure it fits well.” [Also Read - How to Handle Tooth Injuries in Toddlers?]

9. Focus on Technique

Injuries can happen when an athlete does something the wrong way, like tackling in football to avoid concussions, or how to throw in baseball. If you’re doing something the wrong way, your risk of injury is raised much higher, so as a parent you should be clear with your child of the wrong and right way to do something. All it takes is doing it wrong once, and you can pick up a serious injury. 

10. Get Help Immediately After an Injury

If a young athlete gets an injury, it’s important to recognize it right away and get medical help for it to avoid the damage getting worse. If you notice that your child has changed their technique, such as to hide a limp when running, changing the way they throw or protecting an ankle, take them aside and ask them what’s going on. Get an assessment right away before going back to the activity. 
 

About the Writer: Ellie Coverdale writing at UK Writings and Easy Roo, is passionate about sharing her extensive experience. She specializes in writing tips and suggestions. Ellie enjoys writing about a wide range of topics, including lifestyle, education, and life as a writer.