How To Help Your Child Athlete Avoid Sports Injuries

Now that students are back in the classrooms, our favorite football teams will be marching out on the fields-hopefully to victory! Football can be an exciting sport both for the athlete and the spectator. Unfortunately for the athletes, there is a risk of suffering an injury. With proper education about injury prevention and training, football athletes will not have to be a bench warmer for the rest of the season! Believe it or not, football does not lead the sports injury list. Gymnastics and aerobics do. However since football is a contact sport, all injuries other than bumps and bruises should be evaluated by an athletic trainer, physical therapist, and physician.

All athletes, football or not, need to listen to their coaches. They may be harder on you than your parents and may push you over the edge of exhaustion but they know the game and know what it takes to win. Injuries are not part of a winning strategy.

Head and neck injuries are the most devastating football injuries. However, head injury rates have decreased with the changes in protective padding and helmets. But these types of injuries can usually be avoided by following your coach’s training and using proper tackling and blocking techniques.

One of the most common shoulder injuries is a shoulder separation. This is a form of ligament sprain in the shoulder. Most require just protective padding, ice, and measures for pain control. More severe ligament tears may require surgery.

Another less common shoulder injury is a dislocation which may be a partial or complete dislocation. A complete dislocation must be manipulated back into the shoulder socket by a doctor.

Since football is a lifting and pushing sport, back injuries do occur, but most are muscle strains.

More serious is a fracture to the vertebrae (bone) of the back.

Another type of fracture injury that can occur is spondylolysis which is where the vertebrae can slip over another in the spine. If this is not allowed to heal properly, in most cases football will need to be discontinued.

Hip pointers are a bruise to the outer pelvis bone.

Bruised ribs and kidneys also occur in addition to quad muscle bruises and leg muscle pulls.

Hamstring sprains “pulls” are very common and also very frustrating to deal with: some heal within a few days, some take several weeks. Proper stretching techniques can help avoid these injuries.

Knee injuries can vary in degrees of severity. Some ligament sprains just require rest, others (like a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament) require reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation. Most athletes can return to activity in 5-6 months. All knee injuries should be evaluated by a specialist.