Summer is now upon us which means it’s time to start thinking about common sports injuries and prevention for your children. The kids are out of school, and you may be considering or have already considered and placed your children in an outdoor camp or sport for the season.

Not only is there a risk for heat related illness especially during the summer, but also other physical injury by overuse, trauma, or a previous injury getting aggravated can occur from the increase in physical activity that many kids experience in the summer months.

Even if your children are either too young for team sports, or maybe they prefer unorganized or solo sports, there is still a risk of injury from the physical activity they may want to engage in, such as bike riding, skateboarding, roller blading, and more.

Fortunately, many of these sports injuries can be prevented with some planning and proper instruction, including paying attention to any safety protocols or rules that may be in place so that everyone can benefit from them as much as possible and keep them all safe. Below are some great ways to prevent summer sports injuries in children.

 

 5 Ways to Help Prevent Summer Sports Injuries

 

1. Warm-up and stretch. Encourage your kids to stretch and do a quick warm up before they participate in any activity. Warming up properly can increase blood flow, muscle temperature and core temperature- all helpful in preventing injury. Another benefit of warming up can be getting your kid’s head in the game and help them focus on what they’re about to do, which could help avoid accidents that can cause injuries. Some good warm ups include doing squats, lunges, and mobility exercises for the spine.


2. Hydrate and eat well. Probably the most common-sense way to prevent injuries is to drink plenty of water and eat nutritious foods that help the body stay in good shape. Proper hydration can help prevent muscle cramps, heat exhaustion, and other symptoms such as headaches, and poor focus, all contributing to the general prevention of injuries, heat related illness, and encourages the safety of your kids during sports.


3. Use proper gear for the specific sport your child engages in. Having a general understanding of the right equipment for the specific sport is helpful in preventing injuries. Realizing that not all safety equipment is created equal and isn’t approved across the board can make a huge difference in the safety of your child. For example, a child shouldn’t use a football helmet in place of a properly fitting bike helmet, specific for biking, and shouldn’t be wearing running sneakers instead of specific cleats that are recommended for soccer while playing. Using equipment properly and ensuring it fits well is crucial to your child’s safety on the field.


4. Know when your child needs a break from playing. If a child is overly tired, not feeling well, or is suffering some type of injury and trying to “tough it out,” encourage them to take a break and sit the sport out until they feel better or are healed. Allowing them to continue the activity can cause existing injuries to get worse, or even cause new ones. Letting your children to rest can make a tremendous difference in your child’s overall wellbeing and resilience in sports, helping them succeed.


5. Encourage a variety of sports instead of constantly doing the same one, season after season. By doing this, it gives your child the chance to work different muscle groups instead of putting constant stress on the same ones every season, which can cause injury due to overuse.

For more information on how to prevent injuries, check out the post made by an orthopedic office here.

Another great resource is Hopkin’s Medicine, here.

 

Common Sports Injuries in Children

 

Sometimes even with proper injury prevention techniques, accidents can happen. When an injury does occur, despite everything you may have done right, it’s important to get your child checked out by a doctor, as soon as possible.

Some of the first signs of injury of course, are pain, swelling, or bleeding in any area of the body. An inability to move a certain limb, losing consciousness, or inability to put any weight on a limb without it being painful are other symptoms of an injury to look out for.

If your child is complaining of pain, or they tell you they’ve heard a loud pop and it hurt, pay attention and get your child to urgent care or the emergency room as soon as you can to rule out serious injury or conditions. In some cases, a pre-season physical may be necessary to make sure your child is fit to play the sport of their choosing. This can help prevent certain injuries or conditions down the line.

 

3 Types of Injuries

 

1. Acute injuries- These are quick onset and are generally caused by some type of trauma to the body. In younger children, bruises, sprains and strains are common minor acute injuries. In teenagers, there is usually a risk of more severe injuries that include concussions, broken bones, and torn ligaments. They often happen due to a lack or proper use of equipment, and in some cases, improper equipment in general.


2. Overuse injuries- These types of injuries occur when certain muscles or bones suffer from repetitive use, over and over again, weakening the whole part. They can affect anyone, but in a child or a teenager it is more problematic because it can affect bone growth, and breaks can cause that as well. Anterior knee pain, “Little League” elbow, swimmer’s shoulder, and others are considered overuse injuries.


3. Re-injuries- These types of injuries are a result of an old injury not healing well enough or given enough time to heal before engaging in physical activity again. Athletes are at the greatest risk of re-injury when they return to a sport too soon after getting the injury, putting more stress on an already weakened muscle, bone, or body part. Sudden exertion can also cause re-injury, so your child should return to a sport slowly to avoid hurting themselves again.

 

To learn more about preventing and treating sports injuries in children, we recommend you check out Kids Health here.