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Back-to-School Sports: How to Keep Your Child Safe

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Back to School Sports and Injury Prevention

School is back in session! While you may be rejoicing that your days are filled with peace and quiet now, your worries aren’t over yet. Back to school also means back to sports. Whether they have soccer, hockey, track, or tennis on their schedule, it’s important that your child stay safe. Here’s what you should know.

Common Sport Injuries

There are three common types of sports injuries that kids and teens experience while playing sports. These include:

  • Acute injuries: These happen suddenly and are often some form of trauma, such as bruises, sprains, broken bones, and sprained ligaments.
  • Overuse injuries: These occur when the body performed repetitive actions that put too much stress on the bones and muscles. Common types of overuse injuries include swimmer’s shoulder, anterior knee pain, and shin splints.
  • Reinjuries: Reinjuries are exactly what you think they are – an injury that happens when an athlete returns to the sport before a previous injury has adequately healed. This puts stress on the injury, forcing the body to compensate for a weakness. In turn, this can injure another body part. 

Proper Sport Injury Prevention

What can you, as a parent or guardian, do to help prevent injuries that occur in school? Believe it or not but there are many ways you can protect your child when they are out of your hands. You can:

  1. Teach him or her how to warm up and cool down properly by showing them safe stretches
  2. Encourage him or her to speak up when they are in pain
  3. Send your child to school with adequate and proper-fitting equipment
  4. Let the coach know if your child has any conditions that could make exercise difficult
  5. Give your child a reusable water bottle to fill up throughout the day to stay hydrated
  6. Fill him or her up on a nutritious and healthy diet
  7. Ensure they get sufficient rest and sleep
  8. Book your child in for a sports physical

How Can a Sports Physical Help Reduce Injury?

A sports physical is designed to determine if it’s safe for him/her to participate in a certain sport. The doctor will identify health concerns that may impact your child’s ability to perform the sport. For example, if your child has asthma attacks but wants to play soccer, you will need to work with your doctor to determine the safest way to ensure they can breathe easy when running.

These tips can help protect your child throughout this school year and beyond. For all of your health concerns and to book your child in for a sports physical, visit Sand Canyon Urgent Care. We welcome walk-in patients. Our onsite diagnostic and lab facilities help us to best serve you and your loved ones. Call us at (949) 536-7892 or visit us here to get started!