By: Drew Hendrickson
Many students love playing sports and dedicate a large portion of their free time to practicing or playing them. Athletes on average have relatively high grade point averages; have healthy, fit bodies and have friendships that will last a lifetime. Playing a sport has a lot of benefits, but, with all the time our bodies spend enduring the physical abuse put on them, eventually an injury is bound to occur.
Approximately 1 million people are injured while playing sports each year in the United States. The most common forms of injury are sprains and strains. One in four injuries is considered serious; however, rarely does anyone die from sports injuries. Some injuries may not seem to bad, just a slight nagging pain or a popping in a joint, however, one should still get them checked. This could be an indicator of a chronic injury, and as one gets older sports-injury severity increases; which could transform that little injury into something way more serious.
Over half of sports-injuries take place at practice. This being said, there are a number of ways to help prevent injuries while practicing. Warming up is one such example, warming up makes injury less likely to occur and is a good way to gently get the muscles ready for strenuous activity. Stretching is another great way to prevent injury, stretching improves muscles ability to contract and perform. One of the more important injury prevention steps, though, is adequate rest. Rest lets muscles recuperate from long, arduous activities, and remember, the leading cause of injury is overuse and fatigue.
Sports can be a fun and rewarding way to spend your free time. However, injuries are bound to happen sometime, so when they do make sure to get them checked out. With the proper precautions, you can spend more time having fun and enjoying yourself than dealing with a nagging injury.