Preventing Sports Injuries in Children

As the first half of school comes to a close and children are gearing up for championships – cross country races, soccer titles, and gymnastics meets, there are a growing number of sports related injuries that range from small cuts to concussions. Getting back into the game is important for parents, coaches, and athletes alike, but we can also try to avoid injuries in the first place.injury-2

Preventing injuries in children can be easy. Make sure injury prevention information is discussed with your team. This includes proper use of safety gear – fitting helmets properly, placing shin guards correctly, and tying shoelaces. Don’t be embarrassed to ask your child’s coach how to do any of these because standards can vary from sport to sport and year to year.

A powerful tool to prevent injury is variety. We want our children to be successful, and that means extra practices, private lessons, and out-of-season competition. However, repeated movements can be the culprits of acute and chronic injuries. This doesn’t mean you have to stop, but it does mean that playing another sport during the off season, or even giving dance lessons a try, could keep your child healthy longer.

It seems counterintuitive that disregarding sport specific skills, yet taking time to dabble in other athletic endeavors can make your child stronger, but research shows that waiting to pitch a baseball until age 11 and not playing out-of-season has no negative effect on pitching speed or accuracy in high school and college. There are some sports, though, where this isn’t possible. In that case, there’s another resource for keeping your child safe and happy.

A new way to stay injury-free is neuromuscular training – using one’s mind to tell the body what is happening. Do a squat. Look in the mirror. Did your knees go in? Think of keeping your knees apart. Squat again. Did you do it? Most likely, you corrected your squat. This type of training starts simple, but can accommodate any sport at any level and incorporates balance, strength, and flexibility.

Good luck with your sport endeavors this year and stay healthy!

Bio

Lauren Cowan-Tapia is a Pediatric Physical Therapist who specializes in developmental disorders, connective issue disorders, and sports injuries from birth through age 21. For more information call 808-214-4684 or email [email protected].