As summer ends, kids are heading back to school. Also, fall sports are starting up at Connecticut high schools. A common fear among parents of high school athletes is a fear that their child will suffer an injury. Unfortunately, the U.S. sees a lot of high school sports injuries. It is estimated that, each year, around 2 million injuries are suffered by high school athletes.
Among the injuries participants in fall sports could end up facing are anterior cruciate ligament injuries, commonly known as ACL injuries. Football and soccer are among the fall sports in which such injuries tend to be more common.
These injuries vary in severity. Sometimes, they just involve minor overextensions. Other times they involve full ligament tears. These injuries can be very painful for young athletes and have the potential to have significant long-term effects. In some instances, these injuries lead to surgeries.
Parents of young athletes may have questions on what can be done to protect their kids from such injuries. There are various things that can help with preventing ACL injuries including:
- Proper warm-ups
- Proper stretching
- Proper training on techniques for cutting, jumping, landing and pivoting
- Proper protective gear
- Strength and conditioning for leg muscles and core muscles
- Athletes with potential injuries promptly getting a medical evaluation
Parents may want to ask their kids’ coaches what things are being done regarding ACL prevention and other injury prevention in the sports programs their children participate in. One would hope all high school sports programs would take adequate steps to protect their athletes.
When a young athlete suffers an ACL tear or other serious sports injury and there are questions as to whether his or her school acted properly, his or her parents may want to have a skilled personal injury attorney review the matter.
