Good advice for Correct and Incorrect Stretching click here.
Can youth sports injuries be prevented?
Most sports injuries can be prevented, even predicted! The first step in preventing sports injuries is finding out why sports injuries occur. Sports injuries may be caused by:
Most sports injuries can be prevented, even predicted! The first step in preventing sports injuries is finding out why sports injuries occur. Sports injuries may be caused by:
- Individual risk factors (such as medical conditions)
- Inadequate physical exams before participating (every child should get a sports-specific physical exam before each season)
- Find out what UM experts say about heart screening for young athletes.
- Lack of pre-season conditioning
- Lack of safety equipment, or poorly fitted, improper equipment
- Lack of proper eye protection
- Teaming up by age instead of size
- Unsafe playing fields, or surfaces
- Improper training or coaching, or lack of instruction
- Fatigue
- Not warming up, cooling down and stretching properly
- Playing while injured
- Stress and inappropriate pressure to win
- Temperature
- Poor nutrition or hydration
Soccer:
- Common injuries: Bruises, cuts and scrapes, headaches, sunburn.
- Safest playing with: Shin guards, athletic supporters for males, cleats, sunscreen, water.
- Injury prevention: Aerobic conditioning and warmups, and proper training in “heading” (that is, using the head to strike or make a play with the ball).
- Soccer safety, from SafeUSA.
- Guidelines for moveable soccer goal safety, from the CPSC.
- Listen to the American Academy of Pediatrics Minute for Kids about preventing soccer injuries
- The American Academy of Pediatrics makes these recommendations [5]:
- “Protective eyewear and mouth guards may help reduce the number of some nonfatal head and facial injuries.
- Further research is needed to determine if rule changes, equipment modifications, or further safety interventions can reduce the number of other injuries.
- Because soccer-related fatalities have been strongly linked with head impact on goalposts, goalposts should be secured in a manner consistent with guidelines developed by the manufacturers and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
- The potential for permanent cognitive impairment from heading the ball needs to be explored further. Currently, there seems to be insufficient published data to support a recommendation that young soccer players completely refrain from heading the ball. However, adults who supervise participants in youth soccer should minimize the use of the technique of heading the ball until the potential for permanent cognitive impairment is further delineated.
- Violent behavior and aggressive infractions of the rules that tend to decrease broad participation in youth sports should be strongly discouraged. Parents, coaches, and soccer organizations should work to promote enforcement of all safety rules and strongly encourage sportsmanship, fair play, and maximum enjoyment for the athletes.
- Pediatricians should encourage efforts to increase participation in all forms of physical activity, including youth soccer. Because soccer is a valuable component of physical activity and fitness for youth in the United States, pediatricians should work with other members of the community to make it safer for young people. “
Don't consider stretching a warm-up. You may hurt yourself if you stretch cold muscles. So before stretching, warm up with light walking, jogging or biking at low intensity for five to 10 minutes. Or better yet, stretch after you exercise when your muscles are warmed up. Also, consider holding off on stretching before an intense activity, such as sprinting or track and field activities. Some research suggests that pre-event stretching before these types of events may actually decrease performance.
