There’s a vibrant youth sports culture in Ann Arbor, and many kids thrive on teamwork, competition and physical activity. While these activities offer excellent benefits for their development, they can also lead to injuries that can be challenging to navigate. After getting hurt, you want your child to resume their favorite sports unhampered and with minimal further emotional or physical distress. Consider this roadmap to help navigate their recovery, along with some valuable tips to prevent additional harm.
1. Assess your child’s injury
After a sports injury, identify if your child needs immediate professional medical attention. Look out for severe pain, visible injury or dizziness, which could provide clues of a more serious issue. If it seems to be a minor sprain or strain, you can start using the well-known RICE protocol — rest, ice, compress and elevate — at home to help recover.
Start with rest to calm your kid, and apply ice to the affected area to reduce swelling and numb the pain. Then, wrap the area with a compression bandage to prevent extreme swelling. Finally, settle your child in bed or on the couch with the injured limb above their heart to reduce blood flow to the area. Using the RICE approach can assist in your youngster’s recovery from minor injuries.
Note: preventing sports injuries
Over 3.5 million American kids under age 14 get hurt each year, and ideally, you’d rather have your child avoid an injury on the sports field. Therefore, they should understand how to prevent getting hurt to begin with. Teach your child these tips to avoid school or club sports injuries. Encourage them to speak to you if they worry their coaches aren’t following the best exercise practices.
- Proper warmups and cooldowns: Your child should do appropriate stretching exercises before and after practices and games to prepare and protect their muscles.
- Exercise with teammates their own age: Sports should be age-appropriate. Unless your kid is a potential superstar, they should play sports with their peers. The coach must prevent their overexertion even if they’ve moved up an age group.
- Rest enough to recover: All athletes must have time to rest, which is especially important for growing children. Your child must have days off between practices and get enough sleep to encourage muscle repair.
- Wear protective gear: Pads, helmets and good footwear are essential for reducing the risk of injury, depending on the sport. Ensure your youngster practices and plays with this protection.
You’ll help your child and give yourself peace of mind if you take them to the doctor for regular physical checkups, especially during sports seasons. In that way, you’ll be aware of any potential injury risks and other underlying issues that could otherwise go unnoticed.
RELATED: Nurse Mom’s Guide: Back-to-School Health Made Easy
2. Seek medical assistance for your child if necessary
After assessing your child’s injury, taking them to an appropriate medical professional may be necessary. Fortunately, Washtenaw County has many pediatricians, orthopedic specialists and physical therapists who can assist your young sportsperson in emergencies. The University of Michigan Health also has local community clinics for urgent medical assistance.
Once a professional has assessed your child, decided on a treatment protocol and prescribed medication, you’ll feel better knowing their physical road to recovery has begun. Always bear in mind that sports injuries in young people mean your kid may need your emotional support to recover before they’re fully back on their feet.
3. Support your kid’s emotional recovery
The mental recovery journey after injury can be so challenging for active children. Your kid may feel angry, frustrated or sad while recovering, and you must take their emotional journey with them without judging them for it. Try to keep your child involved with their team—supporting its games, helping the coach or getting involved with younger player mentoring—to help prevent feelings of isolation.
You can also keep your child busy exploring other hobbies and interests by inviting their teammates for barbecues or going on special outings to places like the Ann Arbor Art Center or the Hands-On Museum. Maybe you can encourage your kid further by taking them to a professional event—these activities will boost their morale while they’re inactive.
