Well, what do you know? Dear Husband is back again today. And it looks like you will get some "Fatherly Advice" on Friday. I hope you are enjoying his guest posting week. I'll be back in the swing of things next week though.
Overly-Competitive Parents
Everybody is different when it comes to participating in sports and how serious one takes sports. No matter how you feel about athletics one thing I think everyone can agree on is that no one wants to see his or her child or any other child or athlete get injured. Of course there are always the exceptions to the rule (See Crazy Texas Cheerleader Mom and Nancy Kerrigan Incident). But I trust that these are rare instances, and that most Motherly Law readers would never dream of attempting to injure a competitor (or their mothers).
All kidding aside, sports injuries can have serious and lasting effects on our children. Therefore, as parents it's vitally important to learn what we need to do to prevent these types of injuries.
Youth Sports Safety Tips
More than 30 million children participate in sports each year in the United States. Of those 30 million, approximately 3.5 million children under the age of 14 are treated for sports-related injuries in hospitals, clinics and emergency rooms.
Here are five important sports safety tips from Safe Kids USA that all coaches, parents and league organizers can use to prevent sports-related injuries:
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Every child should receive a pre-participation physical evaluation (PPE) every year. These exams help with the prevention and treatment of any underlying conditions the young athlete may have.
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Action: Parents, talk to your child's doctor and ask them to perform the full Pre-Participation Evaluation. You can download a copy of the exam here. |
BEFORE PRACTICE, PLAY OR COMPETITION: Warming up and stretching before play is essential. This helps athletes avoid injuries such as muscle tears or sprains by stretching and releasing any muscle tension.
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Action: Make sure there is time set aside before every practice and game to warm up. This could mean a light run, jogging in place or anything that brings the athletes' heart rate up gradually. Instruct the kids on how to stretch muscles and holding for 10-15 seconds. |
HYDRATION: Hydrating well before, during and after practices and games is a must.
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Action: Make sure your athlete drinks about 12 ounces of fluid 30 minutes before activity begins; at least 10 gulps every 20 minutes of play and every 20 minutes during the first hour after the activity to make up for fluid loss. |
GEAR: Wearing the appropriate and properly fitted sports equipment can help avoid minor and serious injuries such as concussions.
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Action: Make sure your athlete has the proper equipment to perform at his or her best—this may include helmets, shin guards, ankle braces, shoes with rubber cleats, and sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. |
QUALIFIED COACHING: Become properly trained and learn the sport-specific techniques that can prevent injury or illness that can occur.
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Action: Establish safety guidelines that athletes, parents and coaches will follow such as PPE requirements, hydration breaks and ways to prevent or detect concussions and overuse injuries. |
SUPPORTIVE PARENTING: Learn how you can help your child stay injury-free and optimally healthy.
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Action: Make sure the child receives a PPE by their doctor, encourage hydration before and after the game and learning about the signs and symptoms of a concussion are just a few critical action steps you can take. |
Websites
This page from the University of Michigan Health System provides a lot of great detail on preventing sports injuries, injuries that occur in specific sports and lists many other resources: http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/sportsaf.htm
The National Center for Sports Safety provides online Sports Safety Education Courses for coaches and parents: http://www.sportssafety.org/
The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation is dedicated to reducing the number and severity of injuries youth sustain in sports and fitness activities. The Foundation is the only organization in the country solely dedicated to this objective. http://www.nyssf.org/
The Scoop
Doing the research for this post has made me realize how easy it is to be ignorant about the prevention of injuries in youth sports. I will ensure that I am aware of all preventive measures to help keep my boys injury free. I hope you do the same.
Do you have some sports injury prevention tips that you have used in the past? Have your kids been injured playing youth sports? Did you experience any injuries playing sports as a kid? On Friday I will post a bit of Motherly Advice from a Father's perspective. That should be enough to bring you back. I'm out…
Dear Husband
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