Preventing Injuries in Young Athletes

Injuries in youth sports can happen, but they do not have to be a way of life for a child involved in sports.  Most injuries, regardless of age, are due to the following factors:

·       Lack of preparation

·       Poor Diet

·       Poor Sleep

·       Poor Hydration

·       Inadequate attention spent on safety procedures

These are a just a few of the reasons that children can get injured during a sports activity.  By addressing the above issues, sports injuries can be reduced and in a lot of cases, eliminated altogether. There are those fluke type injuries that sometimes just can’t be prevented, but for the most part, making sure that attention is given to these contributing factors, will result in a lot less sports injuries and accidents for your child.

Lack of Preparation

Improper stretching and warm up or not warm up at all is probably the biggest reason children get hurt during sports.  Cold, tight muscles are much more susceptible to injury so taking the time to teach your child how to warm up, how to stretch and how long to do it can prevent the majority of potential injuries.   A good stretching/warm up routine is invaluable and will enhance their performance as well as their recovery time after the match. 

Poor Diet

“You are what you eat” is very applicable in the sports world.  When you put junk in, in the form of greasy fried foods, sodas, and unhealthy fats, it can make the child sluggish physically and mentally on the field, which in turn can lead to injuries and accidents.  Make sure your child has a good pre game meal, and post game meal and take this healthy eating and apply it to their everyday life.  Once-in-a-while healthy eating can be better than no healthy eating at all, but for the long term benefits and to maintain good performance, eating right every day is the best for their health and their bodies.

Poor Sleep

Plenty of sleep is a must for any young person, but one who engages in sports, especially competitively, is in even greater need of adequate amounts of quality sleep.  Having a quiet sleep space and a good bedtime routine will help your child be able to relax and get the kind of sleep they need to do their best on match day.  A child that stays up late and has a restless night due to playing loud video games before bed or watching TV until they fall asleep is sure to be groggy and tired during the match.

Poor Hydration

Heat stroke and other heat illnesses can be prevented by making sure that your young athlete is properly hydrated before, during, and after the match.  If they don’t like plain water, having them drink a good quality sports drink is just fine for maintaining hydration and ensuring that they don’t become dehydrated while on the field.   Make sure they have water/sports drinks during the activity as well and let them cool down with a drink, sipped slowly, after the match as well.

Inadequate attention spent on safety procedures

It’s important to teach youth who engage in sports the proper safety measures that every sport includes.  Wearing the proper gear, having properly fitting shoes and helmets, masks, etc if applicable are all important parts of teaching them the game and how to be safe.  Also teaching them how to avoid certain moves, or hits when it comes to interacting with others is equally important.  Even a child can get a bad sprain or tear in their knee from a hit from another teammate or competitor.  Wanting to win is one thing, a low blow I never something to teach a child, so make sure they learn what NOT to do when engaging in sports as well.

Overuse

One of the biggest ways of preventing injuries in young athletes is to make sure that they are not being pushed too hard.  Lightly stretching limits and encouraging growth and improvement is one thing, but wearing them out with long, hours long practices every night or spending hours and hours playing matches and games on a regular basis is a recipe for potential disaster.  Work the child into the longer hours and harder practices to avoid straining their growing systems.  It can be the difference between them loving sports and continuing into adulthood, ready for the harder load, and getting an injury during their youth that affects them throughout their lives.

If a child does hurt themselves during a match, be sure to give the injury the proper rest and treatment needed for a full recovery, even if they’re begging to play.  Playing with an injury can cause the injury to get worse or even become a permanent injury.  Taking care and letting things heal, will enable them to get back to playing soon and without long term effects.