Prevent Injuries for your Kids: Analysis
Sports give young children the opportunity to have fun while also taking care of their physical health. As a result, spending time on the field increases the risk of suffering a sports-related injury. Particularly dangerous are knee ACL and meniscus injuries. Let’s talk about how you can keep your child safe from injuries like these!
According to the February 2007 issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, approximately 120,000 injuries occur each year among youth soccer players (ages 2 to 18). Genuine enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room. As a result, the annual number of soccer-related injuries, including those treated outside of an emergency clinic ER, is estimated to be nearly 500,000. So, let us go over the various types of injuries that young athletes face. Most importantly, what are the ways we can prevent injuries in our kids?
Counsel Your Young Athlete
Make sure your young athlete understands the importance of talking to you. Also, seek assistance if you are experiencing pain or something that does not feel right. An open line of communication is essential because players frequently try to shake off minor bumps that can lead to career-ending injuries.
Ensure your Kid takes Rest
Athletes of all ages must get enough rest in between practices, games, and functions. Denying yourself rest causes muscle fatigue, which increases the likelihood of injury. Overuse injuries are among the most common injuries seen in young athletes. That happens as a result of playing too much and not getting enough rest in between games.
To avoid overuse injuries, you must plan an off-season for your young athlete as a parent. In other words, always give your child enough time to recover before the next season.
Come Up With A Healthy Diet Plan
A balanced eating routine is essential for an athlete, including natural products, vegetables, and lean proteins, as well as adhering to a personalized eating plan. For example, eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time every day.
Dr. Lee believes that an athlete’s weight is the most important factor. That is the responsibility of the child’s parents and guardians. As a result, it is the responsibility of the parents to have a customized diet plan in place. With all of the nutrients required for muscle and line growth.
Above all, this should reduce the likelihood of injuries significantly.
Focus on Hydration
Heat-related illness is a genuine concern for athletes, especially on hot and humid days. Guardians should make sure their children drink plenty of water before, during, and after play.
Guardians should be on the lookout for any signs of a heat-related illness, such as weakness, queasiness, heaving, disarray, or swooning.
Lessen Injuries through Proper Conditioning
Conditioning-related injuries, such as strains and sprains, are common at the start of a season when children are prone to being flabby. To avoid injuries like these, a youngster should follow a conditioning program designed specifically for soccer before the start of a season.
Furthermore, girls are more prone to shakiness or disengagement of the kneecap (patella), as well as problems under the kneecap. However, the twisting and turning in soccer renders them especially vulnerable to non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which they suffer at a rate many times greater than young men.
Conditioning is particularly important for young girls. Appropriate shaping (particularly of the hamstrings and internal quadriceps muscles) and teaching young girls to turn, bounce, and land with their knees flexed. Young girls are advised to take three steps with their knees flexed rather than one step with their knees extended; this appears to reduce injuries by a significant margin.
Warming up Reduces Injuries
According to research, unwarmed muscles are more prone to injury, and children with poor muscle flexibility experience more tenderness and pain after exercise. Not warming up also leads to increased fatigue after training, which can reduce performance. Stretching (especially of the groin, hip, hamstrings, and quadriceps) before practice and games is critical for reducing the risk of strains and sprains.
Soccer players between the ages of 10 and 13 have less adaptability because their bones grow faster than their muscles, which follow suit after the adolescent years.
Similarly, young girls must strengthen and stretch leg muscles to reduce the risk of ACL injuries; this is both basic and important for them.
Improving the Condition of the Field of Play
According to some estimates, poor field conditions cause approximately 25% of all soccer injuries. To avoid injuries like these, make the referee aware of any openings, puddles, broken glass, stones, or other trash on the field. It is your responsibility as a coach, team owner, or guardian to ensure that your athletes are not injured on the soccer field due to poor on-field conditions.
Don’t rely on field staff or the referee; instead, be bold and dynamic by thoroughly inspecting the field yourself.
Wearing Shin Guards lessen Injuries Effectively
According to studies, the shin is the third most injured part of the body in youth soccer. Shin guards absorb the impact of any collisions with the tibia (the main bone of the shin) and help to prevent injuries in that area. Ascertain that the shin guards provided to your child meet the ASTM Standards for safety.
Finally, keep in mind that your child’s safety is the top priority, so if the shin pads provided by the local club are inadequate, purchase a quality pair yourself.
Diminish the Danger of Concussions & Fatal Brain Injuries
Two ongoing studies suggest that years of heading a soccer ball may have resulted in the present moment in a more vulnerable mental situation.
The consistent heading may also result in decreased intellectual capacity, i.e. difficulty picking up words, planning, and focusing on thoughts, and decreased data processing speed. The long-term effects of heading are still insufficient to make any concrete claims.
The dangers of heading a soccer ball should be taught to players, mentors, coaches, guardians, and safety experts. As a result, rules governing the separation of players from the ball during restarts should be strictly enforced. Balls should also be the appropriate size and weight for the age of the players. When games are played on wet fields, they should also be made of non-absorbent materials.
For example, NSCA America advises its members not to stress heading drills in children aged 10 and under because their skulls are slightly weak. Other Soccer Coaching Associations must take similar steps to prevent injuries of this nature.
Prepare for Medical Emergencies
Youth soccer coaches should be adequately trained in injury management and should be familiar with basic first aid. If a serious injury occurs, an ER should be nearby.
An Important Consideration at the End
We’ve seen numerous young players who had legitimate injuries but acted carelessly instead of planning follow-ups with Medical Experts, and the harm has now progressed. As a parent or coach, you should take these children to see a specialist as soon as possible to prevent this from happening.
If parents notice a change in their child’s gait, such as a limp when running or scouring a leg during play, they should remove their child from the game. Furthermore, if the problems continue to worsen, parents should seek medical attention for their children before returning to the movement.
Athletes frequently alter their behavior in response to pain, but as a result, they may develop a more serious physical issue.
Finally, it is critical to understand when to seek medical attention for a sports-related injury:
- Steady pain during or after games
- Tenacious or new swelling around a joint
- Repetitive joint pain
- Painful pops (nonpainful pops are OK)
- Pain that doesn’t respond to a time of rest
Here are Some of our Favourite Football (Soccer) Cleats
Here we will be giving more of an opinion, rather than facts. Are the cleats worth the price that they are being sold at? Should you upgrade from your current cleats, depending on what boots you own? What features stand out in these cleats? If any. Does it do the job? Speed, control, stability etc.
Depending on your needs/preferences. We can also mention its durability, if we have collected enough data on the specific cleats.
What did we expect vs. what we got. Is it maybe overrated/underrated?
Elite
Here’s our pick from the very best of the bunch.
Pro
On your way to the pro leagues? Here’s our pick.
Academy
Want something to start with? Have a look at our pick.
