Introduction
Did you know that in the States, approximately 30 million children and teenagers take part in some sort of organized sport? Of those 30 million kids who participate, around 3 million of these young athletes of the ages of 14 and under experience a type of sports-related injury each year! I will be talking about teenage participation in sports, the causes and risk factors of sports injuries, statistics and facts on the most common sports-related injuries for youth, the benefits of physical activity and recreation for adolescence, and finally, prevention tips on how to avoid preventable injuries.
Canadian Sports Participation
Children and teenagers take part in sports activities daily worldwide. Sports have been ways for teenagers to take part and interest in new activities, enjoyment, social skills, and exploring different environments. Sports can range from backyard play with the family, to an aggressive, competitive game run by coaches/parents and teammates. For Canadians, sports and recreation tends to decrease through the years of aging, yet with that statement, the participation rates for teenagers is declining faster every year. Improvement in physical fitness, coordination and understanding teamwork of children comes from taking part in athletic endeavors. However, the higher number of children involvement in the sport, the more attentive coaches and parents have to be to be able to recognize the higher chance of injury.
Risk Factors in Sports
Risk factors are an important and interesting part of sports-related injuries. Many causes or influences of injuries for a teenager in their sport could possibly be related to personal factors and attributes. Gender is an example. Did you know, that female athletes are more vulnerable to tear their ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) compared to male athletes? High school female competitors in sports have an approximate 1.6 greater rate than male competitors, the same age. Weight, age and body composition and height are all distinct examples of numerous risk factors, followed by lack of flexibility, coordination, balance and endurance. These attributes are mostly associated with the performance part of sports. Psychological factors may include personal conditions like stressors at home, school or social life. Other important types of risk factors would be conditions of the environment of which athletes are playing the sport. Weather conditions and maintenance of the playing surface should be checked out and verified for safer play in the future.
Benefits of Athletics
Sports Injuries: The Facts
Sports injuries are most likely to happen during the period of participation in that sport. Injury patterns tend to be specific to the age of the athlete and their style of play in their sport. Athletes who have taken part in a competitive activity have witnessed and or experienced some type of injury throughout their sport. The majority of athletes get injured during a practice rather than during a game. 62% of all athletic injuries occur during practices rather than games. This happens due to the fact that they are not expected to pay close attention in a practice, and to be more relaxed and fool around. In an intense, close scoring game, it is shown that competitors pay closer attention and to be more engaged in the match. Contact sports are also resulted in a higher chance of injury. 775,000 children of the age of 14 and younger are found in the hands of doctors each year due to a sports injury, involving collisions, falls or being struck by an object. The trauma of contact and collision between an opponent and body part or equipment are the kind of sports-related injuries that happen frequently, along with sprains and strains from a ligament. Sprains represent one third of the total of injuries. Spraining a ligament is a partial or a complete tear of a band of muscle that stabilizes joints and connects bones. Straining a muscle or a tendon is a partial or total tear of the tissue that allows your body to move, and a tissue that links your muscles to your bones. Death from a sports injury is highly unlikely and rare, but it is always possible. Brain injuries are the leading death from a sports-related injury. 21% of kids suffer and have dealt with traumatic brain injuries in the category of recreational activities. Concussions are also another popular injury of the “head injury” section. Concussions (a blow or jolt to the head from an innocuous fall or contact) are a very troubling injury to younger athletes. Younger athletes are at much more of a consequence than elder ones when dealing with a concussion, because their bodies are continuing to grow which takes a longer period of time to heal. The all-round percentages of experienced injuries from athletes are the following: 15% ankle, 14% head, 12% finger (hand), 9% knee and 7% face. Taking part in sports comes with the cost of potential injuries, which happen regularly. On the other hand, far too many professional players show up to ER rooms with pointless and preventable injuries.
Physical education and recreation is followed by numerous benefits in an every day life of an adult, teenager and a child. It is shown that exercise has many different assets that can help and influence a young teenager and child’s future. For example, being active almost every day can help reduce the risks of different types of issues such as: obesity, hypertension, diabetes, poor joint mobility, psychosocial problems, and much more. Obesity is a big issue in a person’s non-active life. By not being active, people can begin to get overweight, and develop some rough conditions like heart disease, joint disease, and diabetes as mentioned earlier. By participating in group held sports and physical activities, people can learn how to interact with others, and meet new people. This can eliminate the issue of psychosocial interactions with others. Exercise helps boosts your energy and strength throughout the day, and can strengthen your emotional side, by decreasing fatigue, stress and anxiety as well, which could be a huge weight lifted off your shoulders for some. Physical fitness and games gives family and friends the opportunity to have fun and spend time together. Athletics and physical fitness can become a great habit to have when you are younger, that can lead to success and a healthy lifestyle for the future.
Conclusion
Injury Prevention Tips
It is difficult to be able prevent injuries in sports and try to keep them from happening, but there are some simple steps and tips athletes, coaches, parents, etc, can follow and apply before, after and during the sports activities. Some tips on how to help prevent preventable injuries from occurring and how to play safely are the following. Stretching before starting your warm up is highly recommended before an athlete performs. This helps the blood flow through muscles, increases flexibility for performance and will eliminate aggravating or starting a new injury. Warming up before exercising is a very useful and important tip. Jogging, cycling or any movement for 5 to 15 minutes (depending on how intense your main activity will be) that gradually warms up your muscles and increases intensity for a slight sweat is considered a proper warm up. After playing a sport, a light, cool down period can help wear off muscle stiffness and soreness. Cooling down (low intensity stretching, or jogging) can also remove waste products from muscles, which then will replace them with nutrients and oxygen. A final step in a gentle cool down would be ended with some sustained stretches. Hydration and correct usage of sports equipment is an extremely important key to help prevent injuries too. Drinking water before, during and after your physical activity will help you be kept hydrated. Proper equipment is a must in some sports involving contact and collisions. Using protective gear such as mouth guards, shoulder, knee, shin and elbow pads, and eye protection if needed in a sport similar to squash, can help lower the chances of getting injured badly. One final tip on playing safely in sports is to make sure all athletes participating in the sport learn, understand and follow the rules properly in the course of the game. Proper behavior will help kids avoid unnecessary injuries, and continue to play safely.
In conclusion, now you have learnt about teenage participation and risk factors in sports, statistics and facts about different and the most common injuries, benefits of physical activity and sports, and finally some helpful, important injury prevention tips and steps you can apply in your own sports activities. Injuries are a normal part of participating in sports, that athletes will probably experience, and learn from. Use these tips so that people can continue to do the activities that they enjoy, in a better, more enjoyable and safer environment for the future.
