How to Prevent Injuries in Youth Sports

Every parent wants to prevent injuries in youth sports. Here are some real steps you can take.

This post is sponsored by SPRTID, a player safety app that provides important medical information for coaches and teams to help them keep young players safe.

Safety is a top concern for many sports parents. Last week I addressed the 6 top concerns that you should have as your child competes. You cannot control everything that happens in the game, so there’s no way that you can prevent every injury, but here are some simple ways to prevent injuries in youth sports.

Be Aware

Always warm up; it is never a waste of time. Muscles that have been stretched and warmed up are less likely to be injured.

Wear protective gear. Having the right sports equipment not only protects your child, it also gives her confidence as she plays. Be sure you get help from a professional or a coach in choosing the best equipment.

Avoid playing when injured or in pain. Pain indicates a problem. Help your child learn to heed warning signs from his body. Of course, if the pain is the result of a specific injury and it persists, it should be checked out by a doctor.

Rest. Athletes with many consecutive days of training have more injuries. Many athletes think that the more they train, the better they’ll play. But rest is a critical part of proper training. Rest can make your daughter stronger and prevent injuries from overuse, fatigue, and poor judgment. There’s a reason for the weekend.

Eat right and exercise. Nutrition and hydration play a huge part in your athlete’s performance. Don’t let her load up on junk food or heavy meals before games. Research shows that eating a combination of carbohydrates and protein within a sixty-minute window after very strenuous exercise helps repair muscles damaged during the activity and begins to replenish the muscles’ energy stores.

Use the Off-season

Working in the off-season can also help prevent sports injuries. The hard work of playing sports does not begin when the season does. It starts in the off-season. Training and conditioning can prevent injuries, and your athlete should not expect the sport itself to get him into shape.

For a younger child, this does not have to be structured training. It may just mean including a variety of activities in his schedule: swimming, playground, pickup games in the driveway or back yard.

Be Prepared

No matter how precautions you and your child take, injuries will still happen. When they do, will you be prepared?

How to Prepare:

1. Have health insurance information handy.
2. Identify now which doctor/hospital/clinic is compatible with your group health insurance so there will be no hesitation about where to go.
3. Extra snacks/drinks, a book to read–have these in your gameday back.
4. A parent/friend who will take other siblings home if needed. It’s always good to identify at least one parent on the team whom you feel comfortable asking for help.
5. Always keep THE LIST with you: immunizations, date of last tetanus, medications taking, former hospital visits, medication allergies, pediatrician’s phone number and address. Either write the information on a card and stick it in your wallet or keep it on your phone.
6. Encourage your team to make use the free player safety app SPRTID, which provides the right information to the people responding to him or her. Whether that be as simple a one-click feature to call you, a way to get in touch with a medical professional, or your child’s health profile, SPRTID delivers it.

As a sports parent for 21 years, I understand how scary it is to see your child suffer an injury, and no matter how well you prepare, accidents will happen. But you will sleep better knowing that you have done everything you can to prevent and prepare for what happens in the game.

This post is sponsored by SPRTID, a player safety app that provides important medical information for coaches and teams to help them keep young players safe.