Tips from OrthoSouth and MYA
Whether your child wants to be an athlete to stay in shape, make friends, burn off energy pent up at school and have fun, or they want to become an Olympic athlete like Memphian Harrison Williams (decathlete), then they’ll need to avoid overuse injuries that can prevent them from practicing and competing. Fortunately, Memphis Youth Athletics and Orthosouth are great at keeping kids safe and healthy while they’re active. Let’s check out some tips for preventing overuse injuries in youth athletes.
Tip 1: Make Them Take Breaks
In today’s rise-and-grind culture, it’s more important than ever to remember to slow down and relax for our mental and physical health—and not just working professionals! Young athletes need to take breaks, too! Even Simon Biles takes breaks. Her daily 6-hour training sessions are split up into 2+ sessions, with a daily break in between and one day off a week. While your child might not need such a rigorous routine, the beloved gymnast’s dedication to not over-extend can be an excellent example for your child.
Another Olympian who understands the necessity of rest is Gabby Thomas, a world-renowned sprinter who emphasizes the importance of getting enough sleep and having a healthy sleep routine. She knows sleep is crucial to muscle recovery, mental health, and overall function after training. She sticks to her sleep routine very closely.
After practice, training sessions, or meets, remind your child that they deserve—and need—a break. For more information about breaks, please talk to your child’s coach or trainer about your child’s unique needs.
Tip 2: Teach Them To Listen To Their Bodies
Speaking of taking breaks, we also encourage you to teach your young athlete that it’s okay to take unscheduled breaks sometimes, especially if their body is signaling them to do so. Taking time off or resting is not a sign of weakness and does not mean they are not good enough, despite what their peers or some training influencers on social media might say.
Also, children should follow a training regimen that makes sense for their fitness and skill level. Trying to follow the advanced training schedules of their more experienced teammates or any other challenging routine that they’re not ready for can quickly leave them feeling frustrated and discouraged when they can’t meet the goals they’ve set. They’ll also feel extremely regretful when they’re in the Orthosouth waiting room due to overuse trauma.
If your child is passionate about track and field or cross country, teach them that the best way to prevent an avoidable injury that can keep them on the sidelines for weeks, months, or even years is to accept when the body is too tired, too sore, or unable to take on a specific routine or goal yet.
Tip 3: Preach, Practice, & Encourage A Healthy Diet & Hydration
Many kids are picky eaters, but if your little one wants to be an athlete, they need to be a lot more open to a variety of foods. Proper nutrition is essential for joint and muscle health, and healthy joints and muscles mean less chance of injury. For example, nutrients like calcium and Vitamin D are necessary for bone health, and protein helps keep muscles strong.
Consistently and routinely preach and educate about a healthy, diverse diet, practice what you preach to demonstrate what a healthy diet is, and encourage them to follow suit, as well. And if that doesn’t work, tell them that to be a track and field or cross country record-setter, they need all the benefits of a beneficial diet.
At the same time, try to hype up water as the number one drink choice. Staying adequately hydrated is a nonnegotiable for all athletes to avoid muscle cramps, muscle strain, overheating, and other injuries.
Tip 4 And More
We tried to narrow it down to just a few, but we couldn’t leave these out! Here are 4 more tips to prevent overuse injuries in young athletes:
- Tip 4: Encourage Your Young Athlete To Do Various Physical Activities Outside Of Their Sport(s) — Cross-training and having active hobbies ensures they don’t put too much strain and attention on only some body parts. It can also help them build strength and endurance that can prevent overuse injuries and improve their performance in their main sport.
- Tip 5: Make Sure Children Who Do Multiple Sports Have Enough Rest — Avoid different sporting events on the same day (like track and baseball), and try to plan a time of rest in between the sports seasons.
- Tip 5: Teach Them To Listen To Their Coach — Their coaches can give them guidance on the correct shoes, clothes, and techniques that can prevent overuse, overheating, and other negative consequences of improper training.
- Tip 6: Warming Up & Cooling Down — These habits are vital to warming up the body and fighting stiff muscles, both of which can decrease the risk of overuse injury. We know your child is excited to get started and ready to rest after, but don’t let them skip these.
Memphis Youth Athletics Is Here To Support Your Child’s Athletic Journey
Want your child to receive expert training from an experienced coach and be part of a dedicated, supporting team? Sign them up to participate in any one of Memphis Youth Athletics’ programs. They’ll make friends, learn valuable life skills, discover more overuse injury prevention tips, and find out how to become the best track and field athlete they can be.
Check out Orthosouth for all your child’s sports medicine needs.