Children’s sports safety should be every parent’s first consideration. Children are at an even greater risk than adults of becoming injured, as they are still growing. Thus, the possibility of acquiring damaged muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons, is much higher than for adults. Coaches with the cooperation of parents can take particular steps to lower the hazards and severity of recreation-related and sports-related injuries. According to the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), from 1997 to 1999, kids between the ages of five and 14 had almost 2.4 million recreational and safety injuries! Though the vast majority of sports injuries among children are minor, some are life-threatening. Serious injuries can bring lifelong health difficulties.
Trainers, Facilities and Gear
It pays dividends to learn more about the sport, coaching team, gear, and facility where your child plays. Certified athletic trainers with skills in identifying and averting children’s sports injuries are crucial to your child’s safety. Be sure trainers and coaches have had First-Aid and CPR training, as well as have an established protocol for dealing with children’s sports injuries.
In addition to the sports organization leadership, equipment is another major factor. Your child’s protective gear should be the proper size, fit and safety-evaluated for a particular sport.
The Child and the Sport
Next, ensure that your child only plays sports when he/she feels physically able playing. Even when various precautions have been taken, the final barometer of health should be decided by the child and parent together. Forcing your child to play when sick or having a prior injury only exposes him/her to additional health and injury concerns.
Instead of being grouped only by age, consideration should be given to grouping according to size, weight, and skill. The performances of children, who are smaller compared to others their age, often exceed their capability. It is vital to learn how certain sports programs place children into appropriate groups.
Pre-Game Warm-Ups
Simply performing static stretches prior to exercise doesn’t help your child one bit. In fact, it can hurt her athletic performance. So if your young athlete is still doing static stretching before practice or game–have them change it up.
What’s the difference between static and dynamic stretching?
Static stretching involves holding a position for 30 seconds or more to elongate the muscle while a dynamic warm-up involves stretching through a range of motion.
The body needs to warm up by slowly increasing heart and breathing rate. In doing so, you are lubricating your joints, which will give you better range of motion and better elasticity in tendons and ligaments.
These simple exercises work as a dynamic warm-up for kids of any age or sport. Do each exercise for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat as necessary.
Courtesy of: https://www.activekids.com
Parental Involvement
Many benefits exist for children who play sports. Parents should also use any means to secure their safety. You are your child’s first line of defense to maintaining sports safety. Injuries can keep your child sidelined and missing out on the benefits initially sought. By being a sports safety advocate, you’ll ensure that not only your child wins, but the whole team will be affected in positive ways.
Concussion Baseline Testing
Before your child’s sports season starts, your pediatrician should provide him or her with a physical examination. A concussion baseline is also advised. St. Michael’s Elite Hospital uses concussion baseline testing by ImPACT Applications, Inc. Let us know if your team would like us to perform baseline testing for your team. In doing so, you’ll always have that data available as your child grows.
We look forward to serving our community when it comes to the health and safety of all children who play sports.
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