Spring sports are well under way for student athletes throughout Southern California. Although current cable disputes may mean that not all citizens are able to watch the Dodgers, there are still a host of youth baseball games and other activities that parents will no doubt be attending in the coming weeks and months.
In such a climate where children are getting back into sports, it’s important to take injury prevention seriously. Especially if your kids have spent the winter mostly indoors, getting back to the proper conditioning and awareness of dangers will be essential. A report in the Santa Monica Mirror finds a representative of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles highlighting some of the ways that student athletes can be protected from harm, and you’ll want to keep these and other precautions in mind in the near future. If you notice that a coach isn’t taking things as seriously as they should, feel free to pipe up.
One of the big worries with baseball is that a child is going to sustain an overuse injury. Pitchers are particularly at risk for this. That’s because baseball players, especially pitchers, are called upon to work a very specific set of muscles over and over again. This places excessive strain on the various joints of the arm, and over time, this can lead to a serious injury.
Baseball players need to receive an ample amount of rest. Pitchers should be given plenty of time off after they’ve thrown in a game. Student athletes often feel pressured to compete, and as a result, they may forego the proper rest. Not helping matters is an environment that emphasizes pushing through the pain.
Protection from injuries also comes in the form of balanced exercise. Every push motion should come with an attendant pull motion, and when the season comes to a close, a child should be encouraged to take part in other sports activities.
But baseball isn’t the only sport that athletes are going to play. Soccer also comes with a few injury risks, not the least of which is the threat of a concussion. Players need to be careful when they’re charging toward others on the field, as any collision can prove detrimental. Headers can also be dangerous if not carried out properly. There’s also the risk of ACL injuries with this sport; a person only has to plant wrong once to sustain a potentially career-ending injury.
Track and field also leads to a number of injuries. Activities like the high jump and pole vault that take a person far off the ground are especially hazardous. Proper form should always be executed and perfected so that the threat of an injury is reduced over the course of time.
For more tips, follow the link up above.
About the author
