Teenagers are very brave to try new things and one of them is exploring sports. More youth are competing in sports than earlier years. Sports help them to live a more active lifestyle as it includes physical training. It is better to consider some important injury prevention tips for their safety and protection.
The risk of injury is at its highest when it comes to sports activities. Through experience, however, many youths learned to weigh the importance of injury prevention. But it is still given that there are other young athletes who overuse their capabilities and take lesser care of themselves. Parents can actually promote a safe experience for their children and learn how to prevent youth sports injuries from occurring.
Youth Sports Safety and Injury Prevention Tips:
- Avoid extreme fatigue. You are a human not a robot, always remember that you are vulnerable. Your body needs to have at least a 24hour break per week and at least 30 days off per year from extensive training in any kind of sport. Young athletes want to be the best player that they sometimes forgot the word REST. Over-usage of the body can easily make you sick and injured due to lack of balance.
- Wear the right gear. This is a default rule. Athletes should practice wearing appropriate and properly fit safety gear such as pads (neck, shoulder, elbow, chest, knee, chin), custom hats, helmets, mouthpieces, protective custom socks, eyewear and face guards.
- Strengthen Muscles. Muscular system plays the most crucial part in sports. Make this stronger during proper and consistent training that can increase flexibility without to eliminate muscle cramps.
- Have a healthy lifestyle. It takes a healthy heart to do sporty kinds of stuff. Young athletes should incorporate eating healthy and clean foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Parents should make sure they eat the right amount of nutrition, no more no less. If they don't practice eating healthy they will be at higher risk of having cardiovascular diseases that sooner or later will be a hindrance to doing sports.
- Water is life. Keep your young athletes hydrated. They can easily become dehydrated especially during summer or hot and humid days. A parent should watch any signs of instant fatigue, nausea, vomiting, panting and fainting as these can be a symptom of extreme dehydration.
- Use proper technique. Apply the correct way of doing your chosen sports. Follow the guidelines properly all the time, no excuses. Never over-trust yourself to do sudden shifting that is not included in the training or trials. One wrong move and you can end up seeing a doctor.
- Have a regular check-up. Sometimes the human body has a very high tolerance over pain. If you have a child who is an athlete, book an appointment with your doctor at least once or twice a year just to ensure nothing is wrong. Acute illnesses and injuries are sometimes discovered late. Be responsible.
With these tips, you can help yourself or your loved ones to prevent unwanted injuries from sports. But if it still tends to happen, immediately seek your doctor's help. Keep in mind that prevention is always better than cure.
ALSO READ : Horses Reduce Stress Levels in Youth
