Talk with your parents or your coach to know what gear you need. Then wear that gear whenever you're practicing or playing. It's not a good idea to just bolt on to the field and start playing. You shouldn't even start stretching until you're a little warmed up.

So do some warm-up exercises or take a light jog to get loosened up and ready to play. Traffic lights at intersections help prevent crashes between the many cars and trucks that drive on the roads together. This works because drivers know the rules and follow them.

It's the same way with sports. When players know the rules of the game, fewer injuries happen. You and the other players know what to expect from each other.

For instance, you know that in soccer you can't come from behind, crash into a player's legs, and steal the ball. It's better — and safer — to go after the ball rather than the player.

With sports that use plays, it helps to understand the plays and what your role is in each one. Being where you're supposed to be can help you stay out of harm's way, too.

Some rules don't have anything to do with scoring points or penalties. Some rules are just about protecting other people and being nice. For instance, in baseball or softball, the batter can't fling the bat after hitting the ball and heading for first base. They must drop it so that it doesn't hit anyone.

Likewise, a diver would make sure that the pool was clear before diving in. Otherwise, they might land on someone else.

One way you can watch out for others is to communicate on the field. For instance, a baseball player in the outfield might yell "I got it" to avoid a collision with another outfielder.

Cuts and abrasions — are usually caused by falls. The knees and hands are particularly prone. Dehydration — losing too much fluid can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Dental damage — a blow to the jaw can crack, break or dislodge teeth.

Groin strain — symptoms include pain and swelling. Hamstring strain — symptoms include pain, swelling and bruising. Knee joint injuries — symptoms include pain, swelling and stiffness. The ligaments, tendons or cartilage can be affected.

Nose injuries — either blood nose or broken nose, are caused by a direct blow. Stress fractures — particularly in the lower limbs. The impact of repeated jumping or running on hard surfaces can eventually stress and crack bone.

First aid for sprains, strains and joint injuries Suggestions on immediate treatment for sprains, strains and joint injuries, to prevent further damage include: R est — keep the injured area supported and avoid using for hours.

I ce — apply ice to the injured area for 20 minutes every two hours for the first hours. C ompression — apply a firm elastic bandage over the area, extending above and below the painful site. E levation — raise the injured area above the level of the heart at all times.

R eferral — as soon as possible, see a doctor. No H eat — heat will increase bleeding. No A lcohol — alcohol increases bleeding and swelling. No R unning — running or exercise increases blood flow, delaying healing. No M assage — massage increases swelling and bleeding, also delaying healing.

First aid for nose bleeds Suggestions include: Stop the activity. Sit with your head leaning forward. Pinch your nostrils together and breathe through your mouth. Hold your nose for at least 10 minutes.

If bleeding continues past 30 minutes, seek medical advice. First aid for dislodged teeth It may be possible to save a tooth that has been knocked out with prompt dental treatment. Emergency situations Call an ambulance for: prolonged loss of consciousness neck or spine injuries broken bones injuries to the head or face eye injuries abdominal injuries.

Treatment for sports injuries Treatment depends on the type and severity of the injury. Prevention of sports injuries You can reduce your risk of sports injuries if you: Warm up thoroughly by gently going through the motions of your sport and performing slow, sustained stretches.

Wear appropriate footwear. Michele LaBotz, a TrueSport Expert and sports medicine physician, explains how you can be your own greatest advocate when it comes to early injury detection as well as injury prevention. You read that right: LaBotz points out that your biggest risk for injury is having a prior injury.

Often, we get so excited to return to play that we neglect the physical therapy exercises we were given, or we ignore recovery advice in hopes of getting back to our previous level of play faster. But a slow and thoughtful return to sport after injury will better set you up for success and help avoid another injury from occurring.

But really, what they need to do is step back and focus on the fundamentals, build strength, build endurance, and build power. The sport specific skill is going to come back, but if you push too hard, you will likely end up injured.

Whatever the case, we know that young athletes often feel pressure to drop weight or maintain a certain body type for their sport. Underfueling and overtraining in pursuit of weight loss can make you more prone to almost every injury, from stress fractures to overuse injuries.

Running can cause injuries, but there are ways to prevent many of them, from stress fractures to overuse injuries. In running, your goal should be to prevent stress fractures—or at least, catch them early.

You can also protect yourself against overuse injuries and even help prevent some acute injuries by adding variety to your workouts, including things like strength training in addition to running during practice.

Weightlifting is a great way to prevent injury. However, when weightlifting is your primary sport, focusing on lifting heavier and heavier loads can cause injuries.

You may also be focusing on training a specific muscle group, like your pecs or quads. Contact sports may be purposeful, like wrestling, or may simply be sports that often end up with bodily contact made, like soccer or hockey.

To prevent injury in these sports, start by understanding what the rules and regulations are in your sport when it comes to contact, and ask your coach to create a set of guidelines for practice as well as in competition that keeps dangerous contact to a minimum.

If your sport includes protective gear, make sure yours fits correctly. As with running, adding strength training and mobility work to your routine can also be helpful when it comes to injury prevention, says LaBotz.

For instance, wheelchair athletes tend to end up with upper extremity stress fractures, so pay attention to injury signs!

However, there are steps that you can take—and that you can encourage your coach and your teammates to consider—that will make you less prone to injury. Ensure that you take the time you need for recovery, engage in a variety of different movement practices, and get help for small issues before they become big problems.

Sign up for the TrueSport Newsletter and receive a FREE copy of our Sportsmanship Lesson. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting.

And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile.

As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title.

I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day. So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed.

This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top.

The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA. By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one.

Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars.

And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin.

Everyone wants to know:. How do I train harder, run faster, and get stronger without putting my body at increased risk for injury? Warm Up Every workout should begin with a warm-up. It prepares the body for exercise by increasing heart rate and improving blood flow to skeletal muscles which can prevent injury.

Your warm-up should consist of at least minutes of a gentle cardiovascular exercise that helps you break a sweat. Finish off your warm-up with sport-specific movements that mimic what the rest of your workout will require of your body, but at a lower intensity.

This prepares your body for what is to come. Stretch Once your muscles are warm, they become more elastic and ready to be stretched.

Static stretches holding each position for secs or dynamic stretches moving the body through a functional range of motion will help prepare the muscles, joints, and tendons for work by allowing them to move through a full active range of motion without restriction.

The more prepared the body is for the workout, the less likely it is to be injured. Progress Properly Start your workout slowly.

Then wear that gear whenever you're practicing or playing. It's not a good idea to just bolt on to the field and start playing. You shouldn't even start stretching until you're a little warmed up. So do some warm-up exercises or take a light jog to get loosened up and ready to play. Traffic lights at intersections help prevent crashes between the many cars and trucks that drive on the roads together.

This works because drivers know the rules and follow them. It's the same way with sports. When players know the rules of the game, fewer injuries happen. You and the other players know what to expect from each other.

For instance, you know that in soccer you can't come from behind, crash into a player's legs, and steal the ball. It's better — and safer — to go after the ball rather than the player. With sports that use plays, it helps to understand the plays and what your role is in each one.

Being where you're supposed to be can help you stay out of harm's way, too. Some rules don't have anything to do with scoring points or penalties. Some rules are just about protecting other people and being nice.

For instance, in baseball or softball, the batter can't fling the bat after hitting the ball and heading for first base. They must drop it so that it doesn't hit anyone.

Likewise, a diver would make sure that the pool was clear before diving in. Otherwise, they might land on someone else. One way you can watch out for others is to communicate on the field.

For instance, a baseball player in the outfield might yell "I got it" to avoid a collision with another outfielder.

Listening to your coach during a game also can help keep you safe. Scand J Med Sci Sports 13 5 — Oztekin HH, Boya H, Ozcan O et al Pain and affective distress before and after ACL surgery: a comparison of amateur and professional male soccer players in the early postoperative period.

Knee 15 5 — Soligard T, Myklebust G, Steffen K et al Comprehensive warm-up program to prevent injuries in young female footballers: a cluster randomized controlled trial. BMJ a Swirtun LR, Jansson A, Renström P The effects of a functional knee brace during early treatment of patients with a nonoperated acute anterior cruciate ligament tear: a prospective randomized study.

Clin J Sport Med 15 5 — Thelen MD, Dauber JA, Stoneman PD The clinical efficacy of kinesio tape for shoulder pain: a randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 38 7 — Van Mechelen W, Hlobil H, Kemper HC Incidence, severity, aetiology and prevention of sports injuries. A review of concepts.

Sports Med — Verhagen E, van der Beek A, Twisk J et al The effect of a proprioceptive balance board training program for the prevention of ankle sprains: a prospective controlled trial.

Am J Sports Med 32 6 — Download references. Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Louisville, South Jackson Street, First Floor ACB, Louisville, KY, USA.

Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Science, Biruni University, İstanbul, Turkey. Kosair Charities College of Health and Natural Sciences, Spalding University, Louisville, USA.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to John Nyland. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology and Department of Sports Medicine, Hacettepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Reprints and permissions. Nyland, J.

Injury Prevention in Different Sports. In: Doral, M. eds Sports Injuries. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Published : 09 February Publisher Name : Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Print ISBN : Online ISBN : eBook Packages : Medicine Reference Module Medicine. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

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Phys Ther 81 1 :9— Google Scholar Ardern CL, Webster KE, Taylor NF et al Return to pre-injury level of competitive sport after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery: two-thirds of patients have not returned by 12 months after surgery. Am J Sports Med — CrossRef Google Scholar Bahr R, Krosshaug T Understanding injury mechanisms: a key component of preventing injuries in sport.

Br J Sports Med 39 6 — CrossRef CAS Google Scholar Brewer BW, Cornelius AE Self-protective changes in athletic identity following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Psychol Sport Exerc 11 1 :1—5 CrossRef Google Scholar Coppack RJ, Etherington J, Wills AK The effects of exercise for the prevention of overuse anterior knee pain: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med — CrossRef Google Scholar Gilchrist J, Mandelbaum BR, Melancon H et al A randomized controlled trial to prevent noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury in female collegiate soccer players.

Am J Sports Med — CrossRef Google Scholar Giotis D, Zampeli F, Pappas E et al The effect of knee braces on tibial rotation in anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees during high-demand athletic activities.

Clin J Sport Med 23 4 — CrossRef Google Scholar Herman K, Barton C, Malliaras P, Morrissey D The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: A systematic review.

Many hospitals provide sports medicine services; these clinics or departments are staffed by sport physical therapists or athletic trainers. Following recovery from activity or sport injury, the Brockport Physical Fitness Test BPFT Winnick and Short, may be used to assess aerobic functioning, body composition, and musculoskeletal functioning.

Physical educators and coaches can help prevent activity- and sports-related injuries in students with and without disabilities.

Management tactics such as defining perimeters with cones or tape and getting students accustomed to starting an activity session with a dynamic warm-up aid in preventing acute injuries Merrie et al. Physical educators and coaches should be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid, know how to use an automated external defibrillator AED , and have an emergency action plan EAP for their facilities.

An EAP is a blueprint for handling emergencies that identifies specific components such as personnel involved, equipment needed to respond to the emergency, and a communication system to summon care. The following best practices may be used in most physical education and sports settings to prevent activity injuries:.

The latter of these important actions will be presented in more detail. Additionally, in a sports setting, the coach must ensure that athletes have been medically cleared to participate by a physician.

Injuries such as strains, sprains, and contusions to the lower limb are common in youth. In fact, children and adolescents have higher rates of ankle sprains than adults Doherty et al. These sprains tend to recur and lead to chronic instability when not addressed Donovan et al.

Lower limb injuries are also common in ambulatory athletes with disabilities Fagher and Lexell, , especially track and field athletes with visual impairments Athanasopoulos et al.

Therefore, physical educators and coaches play vital roles in injury prevention. Upper limb injuries are more common in sports and activities that include repetitive throwing motions e.

Overuse injuries are common to the shoulder rotator cuff impingement, tendinitis, bursitis , elbow epicondylitis, sprains , and wrist and fingers strains, sprains, and dislocations. It is especially important to identify and correct errors in technique. Many wheelchair athletes are particularly prone to shoulder pain.

The root of this pain is likely multifactorial, with training, activities of daily living, muscle imbalances, age, posture, and strength all playing a role. The nature of wheelchair propulsion combined with sport maneuvers tend to overdevelop the anterior musculature and cause the posterior musculature to be relatively weak; therefore, coaches should stretch the anterior musculature and strengthen the posterior musculature, especially the external rotators and scapula retractors.

The rowing ergometer may be beneficial for this exercise. In a small training study of quad rugby players, researchers were able to improve muscle imbalances by increasing shoulder external rotation motion and scapula retraction strength over six weeks Wilroy and Hibberd, Coaches should address dynamic stretching and strengthening exercises for the shoulders and scapulae by incorporating them into formal strength and conditioning sessions, warm-ups, or home programs.

Research shows neuromuscular training NMT is effective in preventing injuries Barber Foss et al. NMT also develops proprioception e. Deficits in proprioception are common after injury. For more information on PNF, consult Stopka and Surburg PNF stretching can be carried out in both physical education classes and sport settings as warm-ups to stretch any muscle group Stopka, Most commonly, stretches include the hamstrings and gluteal muscles, calves, hip flexors, quadriceps, hip adductors, pectorals, and especially the triceps and deltoids.

NMT usually involves both open and closed kinetic chain exercises. Open kinetic chain exercises are non—weight-bearing exercises in which the distal end foot or hand is free to move; they generally involve motion in one joint. Seated knee extensions and dumbbell front raises are good examples of open kinetic chain exercises.

Closed kinetic chain exercises are weight bearing, with the distal segment in contact with a supporting surface and several joints involved in the execution of movement. Squats and push-ups are good examples of closed kinetic chain exercises.

Both open and closed kinetic chain exercises should be part of an injury prevention program Jewiss et al. If one thinks of a basic movement, such as walking, there are both open swing phase and closed stance phase components to this motor skill. A-Z Index Non-Surgical Treatment Surgery at UConn Health Athletes Young Athletes Institute for Sports Medicine Contact Us Contact Us Locations Musculoskeletal Institute.

Injury prevention is a hot topic for athletes at every level. Everyone wants to know:. How do I train harder, run faster, and get stronger without putting my body at increased risk for injury?

Warm Up Every workout should begin with a warm-up. It prepares the body for exercise by increasing heart rate and improving blood flow to skeletal muscles which can prevent injury. Your warm-up should consist of at least minutes of a gentle cardiovascular exercise that helps you break a sweat.

Finish off your warm-up with sport-specific movements that mimic what the rest of your workout will require of your body, but at a lower intensity.

This prepares your body for what is to come. Stretch Once your muscles are warm, they become more elastic and ready to be stretched. Static stretches holding each position for secs or dynamic stretches moving the body through a functional range of motion will help prepare the muscles, joints, and tendons for work by allowing them to move through a full active range of motion without restriction.

The more prepared the body is for the workout, the less likely it is to be injured. Progress Properly Start your workout slowly. Try not to do too much, too fast to avoid excessive muscle soreness and tightness. Over time, slowly increase the amount and intensity of the workout.

Ensure the use of safe, properly-fitted equipment. Cool Down This is the most commonly forgotten portion of the workout.