Helping your child avoid sports injuries
Most sport-related injuries are from impact, overuse, or poor body mechanics. But there are things you can do to reduce your active child's risk of injury.
- Make sure that your child learns proper form and technique.
This can be from a class, a coach, or an athletic trainer. If you can, help your child build skill and strength before the sports season starts.
- Teach your child to take pain and tiredness seriously.
Don't let your child ignore or "play through" it.
- Avoid high-risk activities.
Some activities are so high-risk that child health experts warn strongly against them. These include boxing, jumping on a trampoline, and driving or riding on motorized bikes and vehicles.
- Give your child the proper safety gear.
Safety gear helps protect your child. Before your child starts a new activity, get the right safety gear. Teach your child how to use it. Replace it as your child grows. Set a good example for your child. Always use safety gear for your own activities, such as a helmet for bike riding. You don't have to buy all new gear. Check out low-cost or loaner sports gear options like secondhand sports stores, schools, or community centers. Depending on the sport or activity, your child may need some of these items:
- Helmets help protect against injury to the head, brain, and face. Use a helmet for any activity that can cause a fall or an impact to the neck or head. These include bike riding, football, baseball, ATV riding, skateboarding, skiing, inline skating, and horseback riding. Make sure the helmet fits and hasn't been damaged.
- Shoes help protect feet from injury. Sandals and flip-flops are not safe for bike riding. Some sports require special shoes for support and safety.
- Mouth guards help prevent mouth and dental injuries. Use a mouth guard for sports such as basketball, football, wrestling, ice hockey, field hockey, and soccer.
- Eye protection can be prescription or nonprescription. You can use polycarbonate lenses, or try goggles or a face shield.
- Padding includes football and hockey pads, shin guards for soccer, athletic cups, and sliding shorts for baseball and softball.
- Braces include wrist guards for snowboarding and inline skating, knee pads for volleyball, and knee-savers for baseball and softball catchers.
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