What Are the Most Common Sports Injuries in Today’s Secondary Schools?
Adolescence is a time when students are usually packed with more energy than they often know how to handle. This makes them great athletes but at the same time can lead to a number of injuries ranging from mild to catastrophic. Even though they are equipped with all the right protective gear and have some of the best coaches out there, they can be easily injured and sadly, not always avoidable.
With that said, most severe injuries are not common because parents and coaches take every precaution to keep these budding athletes as safe as humanly possible. So, what are the most common sports injuries in secondary schools? They basically fall into three categories we’ll briefly look at here.
Acute Injuries
These are those types of injuries that result from some sort of unexpectedly sudden trauma. For example, a player suddenly collides with another player out on the field and gets knocked in the face. In the process a tooth is chipped but that isn’t a life-threatening injury. Mum and dad will take him to an emergency dentist Essex, or some other town and problem solved! The emergency dentist fixes the tooth, the student returns back to school as if nothing happened. However, sometimes bones are broken but most often it’s bruises and other acute injuries that can simply heal with ice and or heat and a few days’ rest.
Injuries from Overuse
These are the types of injuries that don’t happen quickly but rather build up over time. The most common types of injuries result from repetitive motions such as pitching a ball overhand. Then swimmers often sustain overuse injuries to the shoulders, but at this age they can heal with proper therapeutic procedures. In later years they may develop arthritis and other such conditions from repeated overuse injuries, but at this stage in their young life, therapy solves the problem which is why most teams and clubs on a pro or semi-pro level have sports therapists on their payroll.
Severe to Catastrophic Injuries
As mentioned above, even with the best training and protective equipment, a catastrophic injury can be sustained. Thankfully, they are not as common with UK sports as they are in some countries like the United States with their version of football and tackling that often results in severe injuries to the neck and head. For schools that have an ice hockey team, this is a common concern, but again, great training and superior protective gear has saved many a young athlete from serious injuries that could put them out of the game forever.
In the end, most injuries at this level of sports are acute like bruises and often easily remedied. Even so, it pays to know exactly what the more common injuries are so that parents can be ready to take their young athletes to the emergency dentist or doctor required. It can be frightening at times while watching your kids out there on the field, but with proper training and a good dose of common sense, most injuries can be avoided.
