My children are very involved with sports. I'm concerned they will be injured. Are there any suggestions of how to better protect them?
Concerned parent of 3
Dear Concerned Parent,
Having children involved in sports is a blessing in so many ways! Physical fitness is so important to our health. A recent study cited the top five sports related injuries to be:
1. Knee 2. Shoulder 3. Foot & Ankle 4. Hip 5. Head
More than 50% of sport related injuries are to the knee.
Ways to prevent knee injuries
1. Proper stretching- will improve range of motion and the joint’s mobility. This should be done for all areas not just the knees.
Static stretching vs dynamic stretching
Static – holding a position for an extended period
Ex.: standing hamstring stretch, calf stretch, lying and standing quad stretch, pigeon stretch
Dynamic – movement-based stretching
Ex. : squats, lunges
2. Warm up and cool down
Warming up helps the muscles, pulmonary and cardiovascular system.
Lightly jogging or jumping jacks can be done for the warm up process
Cooling down by walking briefly after activity instead of sitting down right away which can stiffen up the joints
3. Stay flexible
By keeping the knees along with the hip and ankle joints flexible will help prevent future injury and that is where stretching comes into play
4. Don’t over train
By overtraining and/or skipping the stretching or warming up can increase risk of injury to the joints. Also selecting appropriate exercises for your age and specific exercise goals
5. Regular chiropractic treatment for the proper alignment of your bones, joints will allow the proper tension and stress on your muscles for them to react at their maximum potential.
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