Helpful Tips to Avoid Sports Injuries at Any Age
We are huge advocates of staying active and living life to the fullest. We encourage patients, and their families, to engage in physical activity as much as possible. Whether playing frisbee recreationally with friends or participating in competitive leagues, sports activities provide helpful life skills like sportsmanship, teamwork, discipline, and the reward that comes from stepping outside of one’s comfort zone.
Like all things in life, where there is yin, there is also yang. While the benefits of physical activity are seemingly endless, one danger that all athletes face is the risk of injury. Let’s face it, accidents (and injuries) happen. The best defense is a good offense. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:
Young Athletes Under Age 8
Their bodies are growing rapidly, which makes them great candidates for clumsy accidents. For that reason, adult supervision is recommended. Always assess the safety of play areas and make sure that they are wearing proper protective gear for the activity.
Adolescent Athletes
Most adolescent youths are foot-loose and fancy-free. They may not be fully aware of an activity’s danger level. Therefore, they may participate in activities that can cause injury. In addition, athletes at this age are more concerned about “coolness” than safety. For that reason, they may dodge appropriate gear like helmets, eye protection, mouth guards, and even sunscreen. Finally, some youth athletes play a single sport year-round which can cause overuse injuries.
Adult Athletes
For a lot of adults, life gets in the way of regular exercise. For that reason, many may embrace a “weekend warrior” lifestyle and try to fit in as much as possible on the weekends. The risk here is that their bodies are not properly conditioned. As a result of overdoing it, injuries often occur.
6 Helpful Tips to Avoid Sports Injuries at Any Age:
- Stay active throughout the year. Some of the most common injuries occur as a result of overdoing it. If you are starting a new sports activity, for example, and you know that you’ll have 3 rigorous practices each week—start before the season to get your body ready for that commitment. Gradually increase your duration, intensity, and frequency to safely participate in your sport by having the appropriate endurance level.
- Use proper equipment. This means investing in safety gear that is sized correctly and fits well. Two examples include helmets for baseball, cycling, skating, and hockey; and shatterproof protective eyewear for racquet sports and basketball. No matter which sport is chosen, ensure appropriate shoes, mouthguards, athletic cups, and padding. Check with the certifying agency for the sport selected to make sure your equipment is meeting industry standards for safety.
- Assess the appropriateness and upkeep of playing surfaces. Avoid cracked concrete, fields with holes/ruts, or unsafe playground equipment. Common sense goes a long way in injury prevention.
- Adult supervision and commitment to safety. Qualified adults should lead the effort. Select teams that make safety a priority. Coaches should be trained in CPR and have the well-being of all players in mind with every decision. Avoid coaches who focus only on winning, as they may not foster safe play or good sportsmanship.
- Properly prepare for play. Educate yourself on the rules and best practices of the sport you’ll be playing. Also, warm up before practices and games. Preparing in these ways will help improve the quality of play as well as help reduce the risk of injury.
- Eat, drink and be merry. Well, eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest. Those are small rewards for the hard work that your body is doing.
Staying active is important. Participating in smart ways can help reduce the risk of injury.
If you’ve been injured and need help getting back into your game of life, please schedule an appointment with FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers today.
To find the office nearest you, or to schedule an appointment go here: http://www.fyzical.com/littleton