It’s that time of year again. School has already started and school sports started before school did! It’s also the time of year where we see more sports related injuries. Not just with school sports but with the weather cooling off, people are getting active again. Obviously there are going to be accidents, times when you cannot prevent sports injuries just through knowledge and preparation. But there are preventative things you can do to keep your child in the game. Let’s talk about ways of treating and preventing sports injuries.

Each sport has injuries that are most likely to occur when you play. There are injuries from strains or overuse like in tennis or baseball, or contact injuries in hockey or football. Safety measures can be taken in both situations. For contact sports, it is important to have safety equipment in good working condition and to make sure it is used properly. In order to prevent injuries from strain or over use, the Medical Center and Ohio State University recommends these five things:

  • Warm up properly before any physical activity.
  • Alternate exercising different muscle groups and exercise every other day.
  • Cool down properly after exercise or sports.
  • Stretching exercises can improve the muscles’ ability to contract and perform, reducing the risk for injury.
  • Shoe support may correct certain foot problems that can lead to injury.

Following these suggestions can reduce the chances that you will be injured. At www.stopsportsinjuries.org, you can search for a specific sport and find tips on how to avoid sports injuries while playing that sport. However, if you are injured, you need to make sure that you participate in adequate rehabilitation before resuming strenuous activity.

Here at AZ Chiropractic we have comprehensive rehab treatments that begin with a free evaluation from Dr. Hirst. In Arizona, Doctors of Chiropractic are licensed as Primary Care Physicians. All of our doctors at AZ Chiropractic have their secondary licenses in Physical Medicine Modalities and Therapeutic Procedures and include this type of care in more treatment plans. In addition, we can bill health insurance for those services without a referral from your medical doctor.

If injury does occur despite preventative measures, make sure you take care of it properly before you go back into the game. Dr. Hirst and his team are here for you. Let us help you get back in the game.