Injury Prevention for Return to Sport
Aug 25, 2015
It’s that time of year again, back to school and back to sport. This is a busy time of year for us at the clinic as kids and teenagers head back to hockey, football, soccer, dance, etc. For many kids, the summer was a well deserved break but with that break, there may have been some growth spurts that have occurred. Some of the most common fall related injuries we see in kids is related to growth spurts. Their bones grow and the muscles have not adapted yet. Some common injuries we see are muscle strains, tendonitis, and Osgood-Schlatter’s, to name a few. So what can be done to help prevent these injuries? The answer is STRETCHING. I know, this may seem like a bad word but it is the post beneficial thing for young active growing kids and teenagers. Here are some very simple stretches that can be done at home. While they are watching TV, have them lie on the floor for about 10 minutes every night to stretch.
- Frog Stretch- this stretch for the groin (very important for hockey players/goalies)
- Have them lie on their back with knees bent up and feet flat on the ground
- Let knees fall open with bottoms of feet together to feel a stretch in the groin (inner thigh)
- Hamstring stretch
- Have them lie on their backs with one knee bent up and foot flat on the ground
- Hook a strap on the bottom of the foot, around the ankle or behind the thigh of the leg you are stretching and with the knee straight, pull the leg towards your chest until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh
- Quad/hip flexor stretch
- Lying on your stomach, hook a strap to one of your ankles, bend that knee and pull until you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh
- Make sure you don’t lift the hips off the ground and that you don’t feel the stretch in your back
- Calf stretch
- Again using the strap, hook it under your toes, pull the strap until you feel the pull in your calf (back of lower leg)
- Repeat with knee straight and with knee bent
- If you don’t feel a stretch with either of these, use a step, put the ball of your foot on a step, let your heel fall until you feel a stretch in your calf. Again, do it with knee straight and with knee bent
Hold each stretch for approximately 20-30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times per side. Taking 10 minutes at the end of each night will go a long way to help prevent injury in your young growing athletes.
Please add your bio info through your member profile page, or through your dashboard.