In today’s age of health and fitness, more and more
kids are involved in sporting activities. Although being
part of a football, soccer or Little League team is an
important rite of passage for many children, parents
and their children could be overlooking the importance
of proper nutrition and body-conditioning needed for
preventing injuries on and off the playing field.
“The majority, if not all, sports are good, provided that
the child prepares appropriately,” says Dr. Timothy
Ray, a member of the American Chiropractic
Association’s Council on Sports Injuries and Physical
Fitness. “Without proper preparation, playing any sport
can turn into a bad experience. There are structural
and physical developmental issues that need to be
taken into consideration before children undertake certain
sports.”
Highly competitive sports such as football, gymnastics
and wrestling follow rigorous training schedules that
can be potentially dangerous to an adolescent or
teenager. The best advice for parents who have young
athletes in the family is to help them prepare their bodies
and to learn to protect themselves from sports
related injuries before they happen.
“Proper warm up, stretching and weight-lifting exercies
are essential for kids involved in sports, but many kids
learn improper stretching or weight-lifting techniques,
making them more susceptible to injury,” says Dr.
Steve Horwitz, an ACA member from Silver Spring,
Maryland, and former member of the U.S. Summer
Olympic medical team. “Parents need to work with
their kids and make sure they receive the proper sports
training.”
“Young athletes should begin with a slow jog as a general
warm-up, followed by a sport-specific warm-up.
“They should then stretch all the major muscle
groups,” says Dr. Horwitz. “Kids need to be instructed
in appropriate exercises for each sport to prevent
injuries.”
Proper nutrition and hydration are also extremely vital.
“While an ordinary person may need to drink eight to
10 8-ounce glasses of water each day, athletes need
to drink even more than that for proper absorption.
Breakfast should be the most important meal of the
day. Also, eating a healthy meal two to four hours
before a practice or a game and another within one to
two hours after a game or practice allows for proper
replenishment and refuels the body,” adds Dr. Horwitz.
Young athletes today often think they are invincible.
The following tips can help ensure your child does not
miss a step when it comes to proper fitness, stretching,
training and rest that the body needs to engage in
sporting activities.
Encourage your child to:
• Wear the proper equipment. Certain contact
sports, such as football and hockey, can be dangerous
if the equipment is not properly fitted. Make
sure all equipment, including helmets, pads and
shoes fit your child or adolescent. Talk to your
child’s coach or trainer if the equipment is damaged.
• Eat healthy meals. Make sure your young athlete
is eating a well-balanced diet and does not skip
meals. Avoid high-fat foods, such as candy bars
and fast food. At home, provide fruit rather than
cookies, and vegetables rather than potato chips.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Certain sports, such
as gymnastics, wrestling and figure skating, may
require your young athlete to follow strict dietary
rules. Be sure your child does not feel pressured
into being too thin and that he/she understands
that proper nutrition and caloric intake is needed
for optimal performance and endurance.
• Drink water. Hydration is a key element to optimal
fitness. Teenage athletes should drink at least eight
8-ounce glasses of water a day. Younger athletes
should drink five to eight 8-ounce glasses of water.
• Drink milk. Make sure your child has enough calcium
included in his/her diet. For children over 2
years of age, ACA recommends 1 percent or skim
milk rather than whole milk. Milk is essential for
healthy bones and reduces the risk of joint and
muscle related injuries.
• Avoid sugar-loaded, caffeinated and carbonated
drinks. Sports drinks are a good source of replenishment
for those kids engaged in long duration
sports, such as track and field.
• Follow a warm-up routine. Be sure your child or
his/her coach includes a warm-up and stretching
session before every practice, game or meet. A
slow jog, jumping rope and/or lifting small weights
reduces the risk of torn or ripped muscles.
Flexibility is key when pushing to score that extra
goal or make that critical play.
• Take vitamins daily. A multi-vitamin and Vitamin C
are good choices for the young athlete. Vitamin B
and amino acids may help reduce the pain from
contact sports. Thiamine can help promote healing.
Also consider Vitamin A to strengthen scar tissue.
• Avoid trendy supplements. Kids under the age of
18 should avoid the use of performance-enhancing
supplements, such as creatine. Instead, they
should ask their coach or trainer to include weekly
weight training and body-conditioning sessions in
their workout.
• Get plenty of rest. Eight hours of sleep is ideal for
the young athlete. Lack of sleep and rest can
decrease performance. Sluggishness, irritability
and loss of interest could indicate that your child is
fatigued.
Chiropractic Care Can Help
Doctors of chiropractic are trained and licensed to
treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system and can
provide advice on sports training, nutrition and injury
prevention to young athletes.
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