Back to School Could Mean Injuries for Student Athletes

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (Aug. 20, 2013) — Students heading back to school this week are also gearing up for participation in football, soccer and other fall sports. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 3.5 million youth under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports-related injuries each year.

“Kids are more susceptible to sports injuries than adults because their bodies are still developing,” said Joseph Millen, PT, MTC, physical therapist and owner of Impact Health, a physical therapy and sports fitness clinic in Palm Harbor. “Their growth plates are not mature. Often, the length of their muscles and bones don’t stay even as they grow, leading to tight muscles that may pull or injuries from inappropriate compensation.”

Among kids between the ages of 5 through 14, 28 percent of football players and 22 percent of soccer players will be injured this fall.

Common football injuries among kids are sprains and strains affecting their knees, ankles and hips. Football injuries frequently include torn ligaments of the knee and ankle, and low-back aches.

Millen – who frequently works with youth rehabilitation from sports injuries – offers the following tips for children and teens to avoid sports injuries this fall:

-        Warm up. Before practice or a game, spend 10-15 minutes jogging, running figure eights and doing other exercises to increase blood flow and circulation to the muscles. The warm-up should start at a slow-to-moderate pace and gradually increase in speed.

-        Stretch. After the practice or game, spend a few minutes stretching, particularly hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and hip flexors. Each stretch should be held for 30-60 seconds and repeated two to three times.

-        Strengthen ankles and knees. Resistance training exercises with bands can help strengthen ankles and help prevent injury. To improve knee stability, exercises using an inflatable exercise ball that strengthen the hamstring muscles will help protect the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from injury.

-        Have a good attitude. Kids who enjoy sports and take their health seriously will be more inclined to warm up, stretch and strengthen their bodies to prevent injury.

About Impact Health:

Impact Health, located in Palm Harbor, Fla., combines decades of clinical expertise with extensive fitness training experience to help clients achieve their optimal level of physical health and activity. Its services focus on physical therapy, fitness training and wellness programs.

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