At this time of year, when many children in Hollywood and South Florida are heading back to school, many student athletes are also looking forward to a new season of their favorite sports. If you have a young athlete in your family, you may be concerned about sports injuries. Sports injuries in Hollywood schools and youth sports programs can include sprains, concussions, fractures, torn ligaments, dislocations, and other injuries.
No one wants to see a promising athletic career or love of a sport sidelined by injury. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help your child athlete avoid injury:
- Get back to basics. Make sure your child is sleeping adequately and is staying hydrated and earing nutritious food. Encourage your young athlete to visit the doctor for a check-up at least yearly and whenever there is a need. A healthy athlete is a safer athlete.
- Prevent weekend warriors. Steady, regular exercise can minimize the risks of serious injury. Regular practice ensures your child athlete doesn’t go from sedentary to overdoing physical exercise.
- Talk about pain levels. Make sure your child understands not to play through the pain and doesn’t try to keep playing when there is any pain. Encourage your child to speak up when they experience pain.
- Get help for injuries early. If there is an injury or any chance of injury, make sure your child stops playing and practice until a doctor can give the all-clear.
- Talk about head injuries. Brain injuries among Hollywood and South Florida athletes are a serious concern, especially since studies have shown that brain trauma can be cumulative and can affect health long after it has seemingly healed. One of the biggest problems with head injuries is that even someone with a serious head injury can feel fine soon after their injury, meaning they may not seek help at first. Make sure your children understand the importance of wearing the right helmets every time and in getting a full physical if they have been hit in the head—even if they feel uninjured.
- Ensure your athletes have the right gear. If your athlete has gear from last year, take a look to make sure the equipment is still in good shape and fits properly. Update as needed and ensure your child has all the safety gear they need.
- Encourage your children to try different sports. Cross training can prevent some strain injuries and can build overall strength and flexibility, which can help reduce the risk of sports injury.
- Work with a good team. Student athletes should have good support from qualified coaches and staff. Get involved to ensure the team working with your athletes is experienced and has the background to help minimize injury risk.
If your child is injured during school or afterschool sports, contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) to speak to a Hollywood sports injury attorney. Our legal team has more than six decades of trial experience and your first consultation with us is free and comes with no obligation, so you get the facts about your potential case with no risk.