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Strategies to Reduce Injury Risk for Young Athletes

By Williston Herald, 05/08/19, 12:00PM PDT

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Warm up and stretch before games. Many coaches are fully aware of the importance of warming up and stretching before games.

Sports can make a profound impact on the life of a young person. Stanford Children’s Health, a Bay Area-based pediatric and obstetric health care system that offers comprehensive clinical services, notes that children who participate in sports experience a range of physical, emotional and interpersonal benefits.

Improved vision, a reduced risk of obesity, the development of motor skills, and the development of social skills are just a handful of the many ways kids can benefit from sports. Athletes’ parents typically recognize such benefits, but that likely doesn’t prevent them from being concerned about the children’s risk of suffering sports-related physical injuries, particularly for young athletes who compete in contact sports. While it’s impossible to eliminate the risk of injury entirely, regardless of which sports kids play, there are some strategies athletes and their parents can take to reduce that risk.