If you have a child in sports, there is a possibility they may come home with a sports injury one day. The best thing to do is to make sure you are prepared in case this situation does happen; you will know what steps to take & will be at ease knowing you have the job under control. Please read more here to get some insight on what to do when your child receives a sports injury!

Assess the situation

In a sports injury, the first thing to do is to take a step back & asses the case that just happened. If you have watched a play get injured in a football game or a soccer game, the athletic trainers will usually go out to the field & give the player an examination on the field without moving their body. This is an important rule to follow because you could potentially be making an injury worse!  After your child is taken off the field, bring him/her to a doctor or physician. They will give you a plan of action to take over the next couple of weeks. It is essential to follow these instructions because some injuries occur over time.

Make a plan

After the injury has been assessed & diagnosed, then it is time for you to make a plan for the following months of recovery for your child. Sometimes injuries require surgery, physical therapy, rest or other treatment methods. It is essential that you start these treatments as soon as possible so your child can be back on the road to recovery. Make sure your child does not rush the recovery time after an injury. For example; this can be extremely agitating to a dedicated athlete that needs to go through physical therapy.

Back to the game

Unfortunately, after the doctor clears your child to go back to their sport, it does not mean they can just jump back in like they never left. When an injured athlete returns to their game, they need to work their way up to the level of intensity they were at before. If an athlete rushes back into a game too soon after an injury their odds of injuring themselves again are incredibly high. This is a common mistake that professional athletes even make & they end up hurting their careers. Full recovery takes time & patience, but it will be worth it in the end!