Sports Injuries Are No Child's Play

Games are definitely fun, especially for children. But playing in sports can turn into a hospital emergency for your kids. Statistical data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that annually close to 800,000 children suffer from injuries that are related to playing sports; and a big chunk of this number are linked to basketball, baseball, football and soccer. In the same study, it has also been found that over 60% of the injuries are associated with damages in the joints.

For most parents, sports injuries are an acceptable risk for all kinds of sports; in other words, if you do not want your child to get wet, then do not allow him or her to frolic in the rain. But the thing is that long after a sports injury has healed, certain complications may sprout later in your kid's life. And the most difficult backlash may come in the form of osteoarthritis.

Yes, it is true! Sports injuries can put your child five times more prone to osteoarthritis than someone who has not experienced any abuse in the joints. And while osteoarthritis may come out years later, even after the sports injuries have completely healed, children of today—especially those who love to play sports—are exposed to greater risks of joint diseases. Indeed, osteoarthritis and other joint diseases are no longer confined to the 50- or 60-year-old age brackets; members of the younger generations who have experienced sports injuries may suffer the symptoms of various joint and bone diseases as early as in their late twenties.

But this should not deter you from allowing your child to be out there playing basketball, baseball, football or soccer; the benefits of getting your child involved in sports are clear and incontrovertible. The issue at hands is how you can best protect your child's joints and bones from being injured in a game; doing so will greatly diminish his or her chances of acquiring joint diseases like osteoarthritis later in life.

Surely, you know a lot about preparing your child's body for any game; stamina and resistance play important roles on how a player, young or old alike, will perform in any physical sport. But the key to an injury-free playtime is wearing the right protective gear. Giving your child added security against traumas common in any physical sport may be the smartest thing to do.

For a basketball fanatic, injuries in the knee joints can be considered common aside from sprains and ankle strains. So suit up your child with elbow and knee pads; you can also add eye goggles and a mouth guard.

In baseball, swinging the bat and throwing balls may take their toll on your child's muscles. But all the sliding on the base plate and the risk of being hit by a ball can pose a more serious injury that can afflict joints and other bone tissues. Your child's basic protective gear should include a batting helmet, elbow and knee pads, protective gloves, and shin guards.

If your child plays football, sprains and torn ligaments are the most common types of injuries to look out for. Invest in sports gear like helmet, chest and shoulder pads, shin guards, and, of course, the right shoes. Soccer is another form of football, but in this sport your kid does not need a helmet nor chest and shoulder pads; shin guards and pads on the elbows and knees will do.

Indeed, osteoarthritis and other joint diseases have become the leading causes of disability in the US; and the victims keep on getting younger each year. Protect yourself and your child from the symptoms of these diseases such as stiffness and pains in the joints. While sports injuries sustained by your child may cause osteoarthritis much later in his or her life, it is good to know that there are specially-formulated products that can improve the health of one's joints.