Preventing School Sports Injuries

According to APSportsEditors.org, as many as 90 percent of high school and college athletes have been injured while playing sports. Further statistics reveal that as many as 50 percent of students have continued to play their sport with an injury in spite of the risk. Injuries are one of the biggest problems in college and school sports. If you are a teacher, coach, or parent then the statistic of injury potential in your child’s chosen sport should be one of your first concerns every time they hit the field.

The good news about school sports injuries is that most of them can be prevented before they happen in the first place. Here’s your short guide that covers everything you should know about sports injuries and how to combat them.

Preventing School Sports Injuries

Get a School Sports Physical

In Nebraska, student athletes are required to complete an annual sports physical before the first day of practice. The doctor or physician’s assistant will review your child’s medical history, do a physical exam and determine if it will be safe for your child to participate in their sport.

Use Effective Warm-Ups & Cool-Downs

As any athlete should know, effective warm-ups and cool-downs are very important to incorporate into your exercise routine. Warm-ups and cool-downs can help to reduce your risk of sports injuries including straining or tearing your muscles on the field. Without an effective warm-up and cool-down as part of your routine, pulling muscles is almost a certainty.

Train using a Personalized Fitness Routine

Staying fit isn’t just about practicing your chosen sport on the field. It takes a lot of preparation to be a good athlete. This can include exercises that target weaker muscle groups and make them stronger in order to prevent sports injuries.

Rely on a fitness routine that works for you and your unique muscle profile. When you aren’t on the field, this exercise routine can become your go-to and strengthen your body to prevent common types of sports-related injuries.

See a Sports Professional for Assessment

If you want to make sure your injury prevention approach is right (and that your joints and muscles are all doing what they’re supposed to), see a professional sports therapist for an assessment.

Sports therapists aren’t the kind of professionals that you should only see once an injury has happened. Instead, a sports therapist is the kind of professional that any athlete should see often to assess their health.

A qualified and experienced sports therapist can assess the most important muscle groups and their capacity. They will also tell you more about how far you can personally push your body before it could become dangerous.

Without a professional, it’s simply guesswork.

Always Hydrate Before & After

Hydration is one of the most important things athletes can do to stay healthy, and prevent heat-related illnesses. However, it can also be one of the first things that young athletes forget to do on the field. In the excitement of a big game, it can be difficult to remember the basics.

Always hydrate before, during, and after the practices and games. By the time your body shows signs of dehydration, it might already be too late.

Listen to Your Body

Listen to your body, and take this as one of the most critical pieces of advice that any young athlete could learn. There is always a point past which the body will not let itself be pushed. Dedication has nothing to do with this, but physical capacity certainly does.

If there’s a point in any game where you feel like you’ve been pushed past the point you can handle, stop. It’s no shame to move out of a game when your body can’t handle it. Rather than risk serious injury, it is vital that you know when to walk away from a game when your body has had enough.

It happens to even the most seasoned professionals in sports.

Strap Up

The use of guards and KT-tape is a great advantage for athletes on and off the field, especially when certain muscle groups or body parts have begun to take strain during exercise.

Strap up when you feel any kind of strain during training or in a game. Strapping up affected joints or muscles can help to reduce the long-term impact of continual use. Sports wraps and tapes make serious injuries less likely and tend to bring down the associated pain and inflammation as well.

Additional Information: Injuries among youth athletes are on the rise – but why?

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