Worldwide statistics are staggering; Even if children play occasionally, they are more likely to be injured while playing than adults. As parents and adults, how can we protect children from most injuries? You can do some things, both therapeutically and preventatively, to ensure they are as protected as possible.
Your first concern should always be to perform a physical examination before allowing your child to play. This is essential to let you know if there are any issues you might want to know about. While most children are healthy, some are less prone to injury or at greater risk. A good doctor should be able to let you know if your child can handle the physical activity of playing a sport.
Make sure your child has the appropriate safety equipment. Never let them play or practice without it. This can result in severe and minor injuries, but it is best to protect your child by ensuring that safety equipment is always worn. Additionally, it is essential to ensure that the safety equipment your child uses fits appropriately. It can be cheaper to pass down equipment from child to child, but it’s more important to ensure it works properly.
Other issues should be ensuring that the coach your child plays with is trained in how to interact with children and teach them the game’s rules. Ensuring that all children playing follow the rules is one of the best steps coaches can take to prevent injuries during practices and games. Teaching how to cheat robs your child of sportsmanship and dramatically increases the risk of injury.
Make sure your child plays with other children of the same size and skill level. Common sense should tell you that a 5-year-old shouldn’t play on the same team as a 15-year-old. However, many parents do not understand how vital skill level is. Having a rookie playing on an intermediate to advanced level team is a recipe for disaster and should be avoided. Always ask about the group’s skill level before signing up, and if the group is more advanced than your child, find a more suitable group.
Before your child starts any sport, regardless of age, you should find a sports medicine doctor that you are comfortable with and that your child can talk to. This is important because many parents have to deal with restrictions due to insurance and geographic location. Finding the right doctor before an injury occurs means you spend less time trying to initiate appropriate treatment when damage does occur. This will also help ensure that you start your child off on the right foot when preparing to be the safest and healthiest possible while playing.
As you can imagine, childhood is always full of things to look for. Sports injuries can be another hazard, but with careful consideration and close supervision, most children can enjoy playing with little or no injury.
Children at greatest risk for sports injuries
Worldwide statistics are staggering; Even if children play occasionally, they are more likely to be injured while playing than adults. As parents and adults, how can we protect children from most injuries? You can do some things, both therapeutically and preventatively, to ensure they are as protected as possible.
Your first concern should always be to perform a physical examination before allowing your child to play. This is essential to let you know if there are any issues you might want to know about. While most children are healthy, some are less prone to injury or at greater risk. A good doctor should be able to let you know if your child can handle the physical activity of playing a sport.
Make sure your child has the appropriate safety equipment. Never let them play or practice without it. This can result in severe and minor injuries, but it is best to protect your child by ensuring that safety equipment is always worn. Additionally, it is essential to ensure that the safety equipment your child uses fits appropriately. It can be cheaper to pass down equipment from child to child, but it’s more important to ensure it works properly.
Other issues should be ensuring that the coach your child plays with is trained in how to interact with children and teach them the game’s rules. Ensuring that all children playing follow the rules is one of the best steps coaches can take to prevent injuries during practices and games. Teaching how to cheat robs your child of sportsmanship and dramatically increases the risk of injury.
Make sure your child plays with other children of the same size and skill level. Common sense should tell you that a 5-year-old shouldn’t play on the same team as a 15-year-old. However, many parents do not understand how vital skill level is. Having a rookie playing on an intermediate to advanced level team is a recipe for disaster and should be avoided. Always ask about the group’s skill level before signing up, and if the group is more advanced than your child, find a more suitable group.
Before your child starts any sport, regardless of age, you should find a sports medicine doctor that you are comfortable with and that your child can talk to. This is important because many parents have to deal with restrictions due to insurance and geographic location. Finding the right doctor before an injury occurs means you spend less time trying to initiate appropriate treatment when damage does occur. This will also help ensure that you start your child off on the right foot when preparing to be the safest and healthiest possible while playing.
As you can imagine, childhood is always full of things to look for. Sports injuries can be another hazard, but with careful consideration and close supervision, most children can enjoy playing with little or no injury.