4 Tips to Prevent Kids’ Sports Injuries in the Spring

Spring is finally here, and that means it’s time for spring sports to kick back up into gear. Letting your kids have fun and participate in different sports activities is a must, but making sure they stay safe in the game is important too. Follow these four tips to keep your child free from injury and safe this spring season.

1. Participate in Pre-Game Warm-ups

Before any sport, your child must participate in all pre-game warm-ups. Stretching and warm-up exercises play a major role in injury prevention. Stretching allows the body to increase blood flow and nimbleness, while warm-up drills efficiently prepare your children’s’ bodies for the types of movements they’ll be performing. So make sure your child is thoroughly participating!

2. Stay Hydrated

Hydration is an everyday necessity even outside of the sports world. During spring sports, water consumption becomes even more important. Kids should be staying well hydrated before, during and after sports activity to avoid cramps and exhaustion. The spring weather can be hot sometimes and that excess sweat will release more bodily liquids than usual – and the only way to replenish the body is to drink water. Hydration will keep energy levels high while reducing the chances of injury altogether.

3. Wear the Correct Footwear & Equipment

Every sport has its equipment requirements. As a parent or guardian, you must make sure that your child’s equipment and footwear is properly fitted and sized accordingly. Any loose helmets, pads, and cleats, for example, can easily lead to an extremity injury that could have been easily avoidable. If your child is also complaining about a constant foot, knee or hip pain, he or she may benefit from custom foot orthotics with the right footwear to prevent future pain.

4. Don’t Play Injured

No child should ever play injured. Keep open communication with your children, and make sure they understand to voice concerns when they feel pain or aren’t comfortable. Playing inured will only snowball into a larger issue either during that game or at some point down the road. Address injuries right then and there to allow for the proper rest and treatment if applicable.

Keep Your Child Injury-Free This Spring

Kids can have just as much fun playing smart and safe during their spring sports activities. Adopting these necessary precautions as second nature may take a little convincing and active reinforcement, but they’ll soon understand the importance of injury prevention. Unfortunately, athletes of all ages and skill levels obtain an injury at some point in their activity. For those living in the local Chicago area, IMPACT Physical Therapy is the support your child needs to get them back into tip-top shape. IMPACT offers the innovative physical therapy and performance rehabilitation services to all Illinois athletes in need of injury assistance. Contact an IMPACT Physical Therapy office near you and see how they help prevent, educate and amend kids’ sports injuries in the spring.