Image is from Peak Form Health Center
It can be a ton of fun to play on a team in an organized sports league but the fun can quickly come to a halt if you incur some sort of injury. No matter if your injury is something that will heal quickly, or if it takes you out of the game for the entire season, injuries are something that every athlete wants to avoid. Here are some steps that you can take to prevent sports injuries:
Protect Yourself
Depending on the sport, there is gear that is designed to keep you safe and injury free. For most sports, this equipment is not optional, but rather, mandatory. You will find that in many games, the referee will check players for the appropriate equipment before the game begins. This protects not only you as the player but it also protects the other players that are on the field as well. In soccer, players must wear shin guards to prevent a leg injury. Football players wear helmets to protect themselves when they get tackled and hockey players wear padding all over to protect them when they get hit, pushed into the boards or get hit by a puck.
Warm Up Routine
Before playing at a practice or a game, it is always recommended that you stretch and warm your body up before giving the game your full intensity. This warms up your muscles rather than putting immediate demand on them. You will prevent strains, tears, muscle pulls and much more if you take a few minutes before physical activity to warm up. Also, after a game or practice, cooling down by stretching and slowing your movement for a few minutes can help your muscles recover safely.
Understand The Rules Thoroughly
No matter what the sport is, it is important to know all of the rules of the game and what is expected of you as a player. Rules are designed to keep the game moving, and help teams keep things fair. However, rules are also designed to keep players from doing certain actions that would result in somebody getting hurt. For example, in many youth soccer games, children are not allowed to head the ball (bounce the ball off of their head). This is simply to prevent concussions from occurring. Adults are allowed to do this but they learn the proper way to do so and they are much more developed and able to handle the impact.
Be Aware
When on the ice or on a sports field, it is important to pay attention to your surroundings and be aware of where other people are. You want to win the game but you want to do so safely. If you end up running full speed into another player because you were not paying attention, this can hurt both you and the other player.
Respect Your Injuries
If you are recovering from an existing injury make sure your coach knows about this and be sure to sit out that game. You will be much more prone to another injury if you haven’t healed from the original injury. Not only that but you can become injured if you are favoring a certain body part or moving in a way that is different than normal because of a pain or an injury.
Playing sports can be extremely fun and competitive. However, getting injured isn’t fun for you and your team will have to learn to play without you. Be responsible when you play and follow these few rules in order to protect yourself and to also protect others that are playing along with you.