Sporting activities may educate children to push themselves to new heights while also instilling values, such as discipline and sportsmanship. Moreover, with the increase in sports camps and more scheduled activities, kids are more likely to participate in their favorite sport all year.
However, spending more time on the field increases the chance of sports-related injuries. Parents and coaches can make a significant difference in ensuring that children participate in sports safely.
This article highlights seven injury prevention recommendations for parents to keep their young athletes on the field rather than on the bench. But first, know what you should do when your child gets hurt while playing sports.
What Happens If My Child Gets Hurt While Playing?
Despite the pain or a probable concussion, allowing your child to play is never a good idea. To avoid missing a big game or being judged as weak, kids often try to stay playing.
Help your child understand that pain is their body’s way of telling them to rest by teaching them to listen to it. Pain can indicate an injury, such as a sprain. It could also indicate the onset of an overuse injury, such as a stress fracture or growth center damage.
Mouth Injuries should not be neglected at any cost. Apply a cold compress to the injured area and immediately rush your child to the emergency. You should also schedule a dentist appointment to ensure everything is okay with your child’s mouth.
Now let’s learn some basic injury-prevention tips:
1. Make Sure They Know the Rules
Although your child will learn the regulations of their sport during sessions, it is a good idea to begin learning about the rules before the season starts.
Make sure your child understands that the rules are in place to keep them safe. Football tackle restrictions, for example, are in place to prevent concussions and neck injuries. Pitch count rules protect the arm and shoulder.
2. Access to Proper Safety Equipment
It’s critical that children wear the necessary equipment and safety gear, which is the correct size and fits well. Using the appropriate equipment and safety gear for the sport can reduce the risk of injury.
Inquire about the proper helmets, mouthguard, shoes, athletic cups and supporters, and padding with your child’s coach. Inquire about any protective eyewear such as shatterproof glasses. Also, make sure your child is playing on solid ground.
3. Stress the Importance of Stretching
Injury prevention necessitates flexibility, and flexibility necessitates stretching. As a result, stretching is critical before engaging in any sports activity. Warm up the muscles first by walking, running in place, jumping jacks, or doing another moderate movement.
Warming up the muscles with light stretching and running before practices and sports helps your children become more flexible and ready for activities. Cooling down and stretching afterward aids muscle recovery and injury prevention.
4. Make Them Take Small Breaks
Athletes require rest periods in between sessions, games, and other activities. Athletes are more prone to injury as a result of muscle weariness and exhaustion, and continuous action raises the risk of overuse injuries.
Your child should rest at least one day per week, and one month off per year should be planned.
5. Keep Your Child Hydrated
You already know that being hydrated is vital during sports and exercise, but staying hydrated can also help you avoid injury. The presence of water in your system guarantees that your muscles, joints, and blood vessels are in good working order.
Failure to hydrate your child can result in muscle weariness, disorientation, and loss of coordination, all of which can affect their performance.
6. A Well-balanced Diet Is Important
Athletes should eat a well-balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins and stick to a regular eating schedule.
Have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time every day, for example. According to experts, in sports like wrestling, where an athlete’s weight is given special consideration, parents must ensure that their children follow healthy eating habits.
7. Adult Supervision Is Required
Adults should supervise any team sport or activity in which children take part. Choose teams and leagues as dedicated to safety and injury avoidance as you are.
The team coach should have first-aid and CPR training, and the coach’s mentality should support the players’ well-being. Make sure the coach enforces the rules of the game and insists on the use of safety equipment at all times.
Work with the coach to ensure that your children participate in sports appropriate for their skill level, size, and emotional and physical maturity.
One injury frequently leads to another. As a result, young athletes and their parents should do all possible to avoid injuries in the first place, such as adhering to the seven recommendations outlined above.
