Reducing Your Child’s Risk of Being Injured Playing Sports

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Participation in sports is important for children. Depending upon the sports activity, sports helps children in their physical development while teaching sportsmanship and teamwork. Staying active is important in combating the sharp rise in childhood obesity. There are, however, risks associated with most sports activities engaged in by children. Statistics show that 50 percent of the injuries suffered by children of secondary school age are related to sports. You cannot eliminate all risk of injury when your child participates in swimming, hockey, soccer, baseball or other sport, but there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of an injury or make it less severe when one does occur.

Types of injuries suffered in sports activities

Injuries to ankles and knees represent up to 40 percent of the sports-related injuries for which children of junior high school age are treated each year. Sports injuries are not are not limited to children. Although the percentage of children and teenagers suffering sports injuries is high at 66 percent, 35 percent of all injuries suffered by adults or children are related to sports or exercise. Most sports injuries occur to the following parts of the body:

• Knees
• Ankles
• Head and skull
• Shoulders

There are precautions parents can take to reduce the potential for a sports injury and decrease the time their children spend recovering them.

Some sports injuries more serious for children than for adults

A bone fracture is a common sports injury in both adults and children, but fractures in children can be complicated by the fact children have growth plates. Growth plates allow bones to grow, so a fracture involving a growth plate could impair a child’s growth unless the child receives immediate and proper medical diagnosis and treatment.

Helping your child prevent sports injuries

Adults approach how they prepare for a sport much differently than do children. Where an adult about to play baseball takes the time to stretch and warm up, children are anxious to start the game and spend little or no time warming up. It is up to parents, coaches and trainers to show children what to do to prevent sports injuries, including:

• Teach them the rules and proper techniques for the sport or activity.
• Lead children in a warmup session before the game, meet or match begins to avoid injuries caused by overexertion of muscles that have not been properly stretched and warmed up.
• Make hydration, particularly in hot weather, a part of the routine of the sport. Don’t let children go without drinking water until they are thirsty. Schedule water breaks and make certain each child consumes water.
• When participating in outdoor sports or activities apply sunscreen to your child. Sunscreen can be diluted by perspiration during activities, so apply it at least every 15-20 minutes.
• Parents should make sure their children have the appropriate safety gear, including helmets, gloves and mouth guards, for a particular sport and that everything is properly fitted to the child.

Ensuring your child’s safety by making them wear the safety equipment made for their sport can prevent injuries from occurring and lessen the severity of injuries when they do occur. Helmets, face protectors, elbow and knee pads, and other pieces of safety equipment made for a sport can keep a child safe only if they fit properly. Hand-me-down equipment is not a good idea for helmets and other items that must fit correctly to provide the best protection.

Personal injury lawyers in Ontario

The personal injury lawyers at Diamond & Diamond have years of experience successfully handling claims for  compensation on behalf of victims injured due to the negligence of other parties. If you or a loved one has a claim for compensation for a sport-related injury, call our 24/7 personal injury hotline at 1-800-567-HURT or visit our website to speak to one of our team members. We have offices throughout Ontario to offer free consultations and case evaluations.