Youth and Sports Injuries
26 Feb 2017 8:53 AM – Specialist Sportscare WA
Sports injuries in young people are often trivialised as rites of passage or events that are easily overcome. In reality, sports injuries can be a very serious issue at any age and they will require professional care. While your body may appear to compensate for injuries at a younger age, they can have lasting effects that present later in life.
Types of Injuries
Broadly speaking, there are two types of injuries. Macro injuries are the result of a single traumatic event, such as a fracture. A micro-injury results from repetitive overuse, strain or trauma to a part of the body.
The Issue of Trivialisation
Young athletes are often tempted to play through injuries that require clinical attention. While this is prevalent in young males, it is certainly not limited to them.
Ignoring warning signs from your body can affect both your sporting ability and your quality of life in the future. Injuries are a part of sporting life. Young athletes should learn to approach injury treatment and rehabilitation as important aspects of their athletic careers.
The Importance of an Accurate Diagnosis
The risk of misjudging an injury in a young person is greater than it is with an adult. For this reason, sporting injuries should never just be treated at home. A qualified physiotherapist will be able to make an accurate clinic diagnosis. Once diagnosed, the patient can receive the best treatment and begin a proper rehabilitation plan.
Some important things that a physiotherapist will consider include:
- A patient’s past injuries
- Their current injury and level of pain
- Their stage of physical development
- How the injury occurred
Management
Sometimes an injury does not require significant treatment. In these cases, close and careful management is often the best course of action.
A physiotherapist can adapt a patient’s training and workload to help them recover safely and quickly. This could involve a reduction in their exercise load, avoiding a certain stressful activity or incorporating preventative exercises into training.
There’s nothing young children love more than to be able to participate and play with their friends. By managing their workload with a physiotherapist, your injured child may be able to remain actively involved in their sporting communities.