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It’s that time of year, where the jumpers come out, umbrellas get a dust off and the football boots are bringing mud into the house. Although it isn’t the nicest getting out of bed to drop the kids off on a freezing Saturday morning, it is worse coming home with an injured child, so we need to get better at preventing winter sports injuries!
Winter sports seasons is the most prevalent time of the year for injuries in children and in recent studies it has been shown that concussion that is the most common injury. Kids under 12 are more prone to tendon injury and over 12 usually sustain knee cap pain (patellofemoral pain). According leading Sports Physiotherapist Dr O’Sullivan-Pippia the statistics are that 85% of injuries are due to collision and contact, followed by knees, shoulder and soft tissue injuries. Jumping and changing of direction are the main culprits for increasing the risk of injury.
So, how to prevent?
Here at PROmotion, we offer a range of prevention strategies in and out of the clinic.
Injury Prevention programs:
Completing an injury prevention program at least twice a week routinely while in season prevents injury throughout the season. PROmotion offers a teen strength and conditioning class in our gym supervised by our Exercise Physiologists. These sessions runs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Monitor loading:
Sports can be a huge increase in your child’s body capacity. Our Physio’s and Exercise Physiologist’s can help parents monitor what your child and teenager’s training and playing loads. Different factors can increase load such as growth spurts, any increased social, emotional and academic pressures, and the type of sport, level and intensity. As parents we need to be better at complying and understanding this, as well as getting coaches on board.
Gradual build up:
When introducing a new sport, or a sport that your child hasn’t done in half a year, it is important to gradually introduce it back to them.
Warm up, cool down & Technique:
It is just as important for the kids to warm up as us, and not just let them run out of the car as soon as you park. While they are eager, it is essential for adequate warm up and cool down between sessions. If your child is new a sport or has had a prolonged break, ask the coaches to help focus on technique and control.
Reporting injury & pain EARLY!
Encourage your child to report to you, or their coach if they feel any pain or injury during training or games. The earlier we see them, the quicker they can be dealt with before they become a more series issue that may prolong time out of their favourite game!
Complete Rehabilitation:
If the time comes that your child is injured, as much as they want to get back out there, it is vital that we allow adequate recovery and rehab following the injury.
If you think your child or teenager would benefit from starting an injury prevention program or are interested in starting the teen strength and conditioning – our Exercise Physiologist’s and Sports Physio’s specialise in this, so do not wait until an injury occurs to meet us!
For the April School Holiday's we are offering 4 sessions in our Teen Strength & Conditioning Classes with our Exercise Physiologist for $60. Contact reception to book in or you can book in online here!
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