Spring and summer lead to increased sports activities for our area youth. While many kids participate in school sports, summertime leads to an active lifestyle for many children that don’t compete on the same level as scholastic sports.
If your child will participate in summer sports or athletic camps, you should take a few precautions to enjoy an injury free summer. When a child is not accustomed to an activity and starts to do it on a regular basis, overuse injuries could occur. Here are a few tips to prevent overuse injuries and other sports related aches and pains.
1. Warm up and stretch before playing. Let the muscles know that they are going to be used by easing into the activity. Flexible muscles and tendons may be less prone to injury.
2. Wear appropriate protective gear. As the summer heat bears down, don’t forget to wear the proper padding, guards and helmets.
3. Play a variety of sports throughout the year. Many kids specialize in one sport, month after month of the same kind of physical activity could be too much for a young body. Get out and play different sports throughout the year.
4. Learn the right moves. Strength and conditioning workouts should be part of the team practices to train the muscles to operate properly.
5. Don’t play tired. Take a day off when very tired or even when stressed. Being in a good mental state is as important as good physical state.
As a parent, take a role in keeping your child healthy on the field or court. Look for signs like pain during activity, swelling and even pain during rest. It’s important to catch these symptoms early to prevent more critical damage.
Many times, these events occur on the weekend. Emergency One is here to help you when your primary physician may not be open. Our doctors can diagnosis and treat the injury and refer you back to your regular physician for follow-up during the week.
After all, our goal is to help you and your children have a safe and fun summer.