For the Love of the Game
Get Ready for Fall Sports
Sports are part of the fabric of our society. They can bring us together — like the magic of Friday Night Lights. Or, it can divide us — when fans root against each other during a playoff game. The sound of a basketball bouncing on a court floor or the WHACK of a volleyball serve can transport us back to a different place: high school, college or even watching our kids from the sidelines.
From football, soccer, lacrosse and cross country to basketball, volleyball and wrestling, fall is the time when lives get busy. Families eat on the way to practice and plan weekends around games. More kids than ever are playing sports and it’s one of the best ways for children to be active, social and learn to work as a team.
Playing sports has risks compounded when players are not trained or warmed up. Each year, amateur athletes take to fields, courts and tracks to try out for school and club teams and weekend warriors try to prove themselves on a recreation team. Short bursts of energy combined with tight, contracted and tight muscles cause strain, ligaments not supported by strong muscles will sprain, or worse, tear.
No Breaks in the Seasons
Many sports occur simultaneously. Students are often known as multi-sport athletes. Instead of a pre-season, regular season and post-season, many sports are now year-round with tryouts happening once a year. Soccer used to be a fall and spring sport but now has summer tournaments and indoor winter versions. Football training starts earlier and weight rooms at local high schools are buzzing over the summer.
Common but Preventable
Sporting injuries are very common but often preventable. Sprains, strains, tears, shin splints, fractures and concussions take players out of the game for a significant time. For example, the healing time for an ACL injury is from 8-12 months. Besides common orthopedic injuries, concussion prevention is a high priority. So much so the rules of many games have been modified to help prevent concussions and devastating injuries. All coaches are required go through concussion training. If a player experiences any nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to bright light, confusion, disorientation, fatigue, or ringing in the ears, they should stop playing and be seen right away.
Here are tips for avoiding injury:
1. Get a Sports Physical
Getting a sports physical before the season starts is important. Although schools only require them every two years, it’s important for serious athletes to be seen yearly. Sports medicine doctors can advise the best approaches to training and alert patients to injuries they may not see coming.
2. Cross-train
Using the same muscles in repetitive motions without strengthening the opposing muscles is a recipe for injury and overuse. Cross training can help keep muscles in balance.
3. Use the Right Equipment
Having appropriate uniforms goes beyond style. Many injuries are caused by using the wrong or ill-fitting equipment such as shoes, pads, or helmets and playing on the wrong surfaces. Did you know that grass is not as soft as it appears? The average grass field has the same hardness as a concrete parking lot. At that rate, hitting the ground can cause serious injury. If the game is played on a basketball court, wear basketball shoes. On turf? Wear turf shoes. Grass? Wear cleats appropriate to the sport. You get the idea.
4. Warmup Before Practice and Competition
Muscles that are “cold” and have not been warmed up will not stretch and will tear. Avoid injury by spending several minutes stretching before activity.
5. Fuel Your Body with Nutrition
Your body needs proper nutrition for energy and will pull it from fat stores and muscles if needed. Proper nutrition can help avoid muscle cramps and low blood sugar.
6. Provide Downtime to Rest and Rejuvenate
Muscles must stretch, tear slightly and heal to become stronger. Healing can’t happen without downtime, so it’s important to rest. While you may be relaxing, your body is not; it’s working to repair damage to muscles, making them stronger.
7. Take Injuries Seriously
All injuries should be evaluated by a professional. Home care for common injuries includes:
Strain: muscles
Treatment: rest, ice, elevate
Sprain: ligaments
Treatment: rest, ice, compression, immobilize/splint, elevate, anti-inflammatories
Fractures:
Visit an orthopedic urgent care, orthopedic office or ER to have potential fractures evaluated with x-rays. Sometimes a fracture is slight but significant.
Tags: Orthopedic Surgeon, Fall Sports, Fracture Care.