Youth sports and physical activity offers numerous advantages to participating children. These activities burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, raise metabolism, and improve mobility and core strength. A positive knock-on effect of youth sports is that the children imbibe the exercise culture and grow with it.
Many children and teens participate in youth sports across the country. However, youth sports injury statistics point to more than 3.5 million injuries each year, causing some children to spend significant time on the sidelines.
At St. Johns Chiropractic & Performance, our team of dedicated professionals is committed to preventing and treating youth sports injuries to ensure sustained participation.
Common Types of Youth Sports Injuries
The most common types of youth sports injuries include the following:
- Sprains and strains: These injuries occur due to overexertion, sudden movement, and the use of improper techniques in sports such as football. They cause pain and swelling and may affect performance and mobility.
- Fractures: This type of youth sports injury happens due to collisions and falls. Fractures often lead to lengthy absences as treatment often requires surgery or casting.
- Concussion: This injury happens when a participant sustains a blow to the head. It is one of the most dangerous types of injuries due to its short and long-term consequences.
- Overuse injury: This type of injury happens from repetitively putting a specific body part under stress. It can limit performance and may open the door to other conditions.
Tips for Preventing a Youth Sports Injury
Preventing injuries requires the combined effort of parents, coaches, and athlete mentors. Some of the things they can do include:
- Encouraging young athletes to seek help immediately when they feel pain or suspect that something is wrong physically
- Requiring children and teens to complete physicals in the preseason to confirm fitness or lack of it
- Encouraging children to partake in a mix of sports or other activities to avoid overuse injuries due to putting too much stress on the same muscle groups
- Encouraging sufficient warm-up before starting any sport or activity
- Encouraging adequate rest between games, practice, and events, as fatigue increases the risk of injury
- Teaching proper techniques to prevent sports injuries
- Emphasizing proper hydration, especially on hot and humid days
- Supplying children with the right equipment
Benefits of Chiropractic Care for a Youth Sports Injury
Addressing sports injuries can be difficult. Utilizing chiropractic care can help children and teens recover and start playing again.
Chiropractors deeply understand the human musculoskeletal system and how physical activity can affect a child or teen’s body. Therefore, they excel at identifying potential problems and preventing sports injuries.
Quality chiropractic care can improve mobility, flexibility, and overall performance. Chiropractors use spinal adjustments and other techniques to ensure that the musculoskeletal system functions without impediments. The result is a wider range of motion, more effective movement, and a significantly lower risk of sports-related injuries.
Including chiropractic care in a comprehensive injury prevention and treatment plan is highly beneficial because it addresses the root cause of injuries in a manner that other key strategies cannot.
The Role of St. Johns Chiropractic & Performance in Youth Sports Injury Prevention
At St. Johns Chiropractic & Performance, we are happy to be at the forefront of youth sports injury prevention in our local area. We provide chiropractic care, physical therapy, and nutritional guidance to ensure children and teens can continue participating in the sports they love.
We take a holistic approach to injury prevention and treatment. All consultations begin with a thorough assessment where we evaluate factors like current posture, preferred sports, existing muscle imbalance, and more.
Next, we’ll create an individualized plan for injury prevention and treatment. We collaborate with coaches and parents to ensure the child or teen receives the care they need at every turn. With our assistance, we can preserve the health of your child and help them enjoy sports safely.
Injury Prevention With St. John's Chiropractic & Performance
Most children and teens are always excited to engage in sports. Unfortunately, the prevalence of injuries means they are always one bad collision or one wrong twist from injury. It takes a concerted effort from all relevant stakeholders to keep them safe.
Do you want to put together a youth sports injury prevention plan for your child or teen? Contact St. Johns Chiropractic & Performance at (904) 207-7078 to schedule a discovery call.
