It’s every parent’s worry — your child either injures themselves or someone else does during their game or meet.
While a few bumps and bruises are perfectly normal, sometimes something a bit more painful might happen.
While it may be an alarming situation, the best thing you can do is stay calm and check on your athlete. But what can you do to get them the help they need?
Here are a few tips on what to do about your kid’s sports injury.
Spotting a Sports Injury
Unfortunately, these kinds of injuries can happen nearly everywhere on the body. There’s potential for strain or breaking from the head to the feet.
If your athlete is telling you they’re in pain, listen to them. Some hurt can be immediate while others may take months to show symptoms.
There are two common types of sports injuries — acute or overuse.
Acute means something that happened in the moment. Perhaps your kid’s a swimmer and they tore a muscle during a relay race.
Or maybe they’re a hockey player who took a bad check. An injury you can see happening is one you’ll notice.
On the other hand, overuse injuries can start to show up the longer your child plays a sport.
Young athletes are much more likely to suffer from overuse because they’re still growing. These kinds of injuries usually result in pain in:
- Growth plates
- Tendons
- Muscles
- Bones
- Ligaments
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons believes these can occur when a young athlete plays too much of one sport.
By using the same muscle groups over and over again, they can cause extra stress on their growing bodies.
These are the injuries you need to keep an eye out for. Overuse can be subtler than acute injury.
What to Do About Sports Injuries
Do you think your child may be suffering from something after their last game? Here’s what to do and how to prevent further harm.
1. Assess the Injury
If you’re there when your athlete gets hurt on the field, keep a cool head and make an effort to check on them.
Hopefully their coach will know a bit about injuries and can help you make the right call. Some pain might just need an ice pack and some rest while others warrant a trip to the doctor.
However, you should take a kid with bone breaks or sprains, severe cuts or losses of consciousness to the hospital.
2. See a Doctor
It’s probably time to go to a doctor if your athlete is still experiencing pain some time after their game. A general practitioner can help you deduce what may be causing their soreness.
If it’s an injury their office can diagnose, they can offer you some treatment plans and timelines for care.
Some injuries may require further studying, so they can refer you to some respectable sports-medicine clinics. There, they can help you and your child discover what the issue is.
3. Use Physical Therapy
Some sports injuries can benefit greatly from physical therapy. If your kid is experiencing pain, decreased function or limited mobility, this can do a lot to help get them back to their favorite sport.
Physical therapy can range from manual orthopedic therapy to neurological training to improve your child’s well-being.
While some doctors may recommend this to you, consider reaching out to a rehabilitation clinic if you feel it could improve your athlete’s injury.
4. Follow Treatment Plans
Your kid may be roaring to get back out there with their teammates. It might be tempting to let them, but always make sure your child follows their treatment plan.
Doing their prescribed exercises and getting rest will help them recover faster, so get them to do those things — even if you have to nag.
While they might think they’ve fully healed, returning to sports too soon can cause the injury to get worse.
Additionally, ensure you’re following the doctor’s recommendations on when they can play again. A concussion can take anywhere from one to six months to heal completely.
Reaggrivating them can cause worsening symptoms and further damage, so athletes of all ages should wait until their healthcare professional gives them the okay to rejoin the team.
5. Take Precautions
Once you know what caused your child’s injury, you can take steps not to repeat it. Perhaps you noticed after their last rolled ankle that their skates or track shoes are a bit too loose.
Now’s a good time to make some equipment upgrades so they can stay safe.
Maybe they don’t like to wear their helmet during warmups and ended up with a baseball to the eye. An easy way to prevent that is by reminding them their helmet is there for their brain and face’s safety.
They may not need reminding after such an incident, but it’s always good to be sure.
If your young athlete doesn’t like to stretch before their games, their strained muscles may show them there’s a reason it’s necessary.
It might seem like a chore to them, but try to remind kids stretching before and after physical activity can help them be more flexible and lower their chances of injury.
Taking preventative measures will help your child find ways to avoid strain wherever possible.
Help Your Young Athlete Heal from a Sports Injury
While you can’t stop sports injuries from ever happening again, you can make strides to keep your child safe.
Keep an eye on what’s ailing them, get them treatment, allow them to rest and make sure they’re following the best practices for protection and prevention.
Soon enough, they’ll be back to their favorite sport.