Sports Injuries

Children who play sports are at greater risk of suffering from an injury than children who do not play sports. However, children who play sports usually have better cardiovascular health and learn vital social skills. So what is a parent to do? According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, there are some steps parents can take to help prevent injuries from occurring:

o Enroll your child in organized sports through schools, community clubs, and recreation areas where there may be adults who are certified athletic trainers (ATC). An ATC is also trained in the prevention, recognition and immediate care of athletic injuries.

o Make sure your child uses the proper protective gear for a particular sport. This may lessen the chances of being injured.

o Warm up exercises, such as stretching and light jogging, can help minimize the chance of muscle strain or other soft tissue injury during sports. Warm up exercises make the body’s tissue warmer and more flexible. Cooling down exercises loosen the body’s muscles that have tightened during exercise. Warm ups and cool downs should be part of the child’s routine before and after sports participation.

o Sunscreen protects the skin and water (adequate hydration) protect the body from becoming dehydrated.

o Children should be in proper physical condition, appropriate to the level of play they are going to be engaged in.

o Children should be taught the rules of play and should be advised to play by the rules.

o Children should never play if they are too tired or in pain. Open communication with parents and coaches is important to preventing injuries.

o Most experts agree that the best immediate treatment for strains, sprains or repetitive motion injuries is the acronym RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Rest: reduce or stop using the injured area for 48 hours.

Ice: put an ice pack on the injured area for 20 minutes at a time, 4 – 8 times per day. Use a cold pack, ice bag, or a plastic bag filled with crushed ice and wrapped in a towel.

Compression: Compression of an injured ankle, knee, or wrist may help reduce the swelling. These include bandages such as elastic wraps, special boots, air casts and splints.

Elevation: Keep the injured area elevated above the level of the heart and use a pillow if necessary.

With any injury, a doctor should be consulted, especially if the injury is severe, or if there is prolonged swelling or severe pain.