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Prevent Sports Injuries
Millions of children all around the globe are hospitalised due to sports injuries; injuries which could have been avoided with a little bit of care and foresight. The number of ways a child can injure herself while playing sports is astounding. This doesn't mean that you compel your child to sit at home her friends play football in the rain. Far from it! Sports and physical activities are essential if you want your child to grow up fit, and develop strong, healthy bones. In addition, being good at a particular sport helps your child develop focus, concentration and confidence. As more and more parents realise the tremendous benefits of sports, the number of children involved in sporting activities continues to rise. However, in their enthusiasm, parents neglect the fact that children can get badly injured while playing a sport. Sprains, contusions, minor and major abrasions and lacerations are the most common sports injuries. Though sports injuries rarely result in death, hospitalisation is painfully common, and it is estimated that 90% of these injuries could have been prevented with ease, if only the child had been wearing some protective gear. True, you cannot protect your child all the time, in every manner; but there are certain precautions you can take to ensure your child doesn't get needlessly hurt. Do NOT emphasise winning. Remember, children want to play a sport for the fun of it. The minute the pressure is on, a child will try and push himself to the maximum to win, and this is when injuries are more likely to take place. While you can encourage your child to better herself, don't push her to win. Although your child could fracture a limb while running around, the chance of this happening is slim. It is more likely that your child fractures her arm while cycling. Bicycles are the second largest consumer product related cause of childhood accidents, exceeded only by automobiles. Children love to cycle, and cycling is by and large a safe sport. A fall from a cycle is relatively harmless if your child breaks his fall with his leg. On the other hand, if she falls on her hand, she could easily fracture her elbow or wrist. She could also be badly hurt if she falls on her head, and such an injury could even lead to death. Similarly, skinned knees are common cycling injuries, and with a little care such injuries could be avoided. So if your child takes to cycling, make sure she starts wearing a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads as soon as you remove those trainer wheels. While the act of playing a sport could result in falls or collisions leading to sprains and other injuries, there are certain sports that yield injuries by themselves. Children and adolescents who run and jump a lot, are susceptible to knee injuries due to repetitive stress on the knee joint. Encourage your children to wear bands around their knees to provide knees with support and thus reduce the risk of straining them. In the same way, cricket or baseball players, tennis players, skaters, tennis and badminton players are susceptible to various injuries due to overuse of the particular joints that are stressed by the sport. Knee, back and elbow injuries are common, while gymnasts often suffer from spinal injuries. If your child
complains of joint pain, you should consider taking her to the doctor immediately,
as restrictions on her sporting activities may be called for to prevent
further trouble. Children rarely complain of backache, so when they do,
such complaint should be taken seriously. Certain other injuries like sprains,
muscle tears, also require medical attention as what looks as a sprain,
may turn out to be a fracture or displacement.
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