Dupuis

eople, ages five to 22 years old, suffer a sport-related injury. This results in 20 million lost days of school and approximately $33 billion in healthcare costs, according to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

This month is National Youth Sports Safety Month, the perfect time to bring some safety awareness to the track meets, ball games, and playing fields at school and in the communities.

To keep children in the game and having fun, it’s important that their safety be the number one concern for parents and coaches.

“We’re coming up on spring sports season and being prepared to change or increase our activities is important,” says Colleen Dupuis, DO sports medicine physician for Aspirus Health. “Preventing sports injury starts with getting a baseline level of fitness, slowing professing with activity intensity and frequency, learning proper techniques for your sport, wearing the proper equipment, hydrating, eating well and doing proper warmups and cool downs.”

There are several ways to keep children active while also protecting them from potential injuries.

Here are some helpful tips to practice before the next big game:

Gear up – When children play active sports, make sure they use protective gear, such as helmets, wrist guards and knee and elbow pads–in addition to any other sports gear appropriate to their activity or player position.

Use the right stuff. Be sure that sports protective equipment is maintained correctly and is in good condition–for example, without missing or broken buckles or compressed or worn padding. Poorly fitting equipment may be uncomfortable and may not offer proper protection.

Practice makes perfect. – Have children learn and practice skill sets relevant to their chosen activity. For example, appropriate tackling technique is important in preventing injuries in football and soccer. Correct biomechanics, or movement and alignment, also plays a role in preventing injuries during baseball, softball, and many other activities.

Be well conditioned – Be sure to safely and slowly increase activities to improve physical fitness; being in good condition can protect participants from injury.

Pay attention to temperature – Allow time for child athletes to gradually adjust to hot or humid environments to prevent heat-related injuries or illness. Parents and coaches should pay close attention to make sure that players are hydrated and appropriately dressed.

Be a good model – Communicate positive messages about safety and serve as role models for safe behavior, including a wearing helmet and following the rules.

“It’s important to teach your children to listen to their body and avoid playing through pain,” said Dr. Dupuis. “Kids should also take breaks during practice. And they should have at least one day off a week from playing sports so their bodies can recover.”

For more health information, tune into Dr. Dupuis’s podcast about safe running.

For more information on injury prevention resources visit Safe Kids | Aspirus Health Care.