DR. YOUNG DISCUSSES HOW TO PREVENT COMMON SPORTS INJURIES
ATHLETES WANT TO DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON—THAT’S HOW THEY RUN INTO INJURIES. THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT AN INJURY IS TO START WITH A PROPER WARM UP.
The most common injuries that we see in sports are sprains and strains, with occasional fractures and ligament injuries. To prevent injury, we always advise our parents to remind their children to warm up prior to any exercise or physical event—10 to 15 minutes of stretching at the minimum, depending on the level and age of the athlete.
High school athletes in the summertime are often doing off-season workouts like weightlifting. During weightlifting, we'll see sprains and strains—sometimes even back injuries. Because training can consist of playing seven on seven football we, also, see a lot of knee and ankle injuries, at that time.
For high school athletes stretching is even more paramount because they've reached a state in which their growth is more rapid and linear. They get taller, but they're still very tight so their muscular injury rate goes up. They're playing sports with more velocity and contact, so they're at risk of more injuries like joint and ligament injuries. Because of that, we advise having a really good training program of strength, conditioning, and flexibility exercises to avoid injuries.
If you have any questions or concerns please consult with your primary care physician.