Summer Safety Tips for Youth Sports Camps

Youth sports summer camps offer an opportunity for student athletes to experience activities focused on skill development, social interaction, and plenty of physical activity. Fun, yes. But summer sports camp can also be demanding, resulting in injuries due primarily to poor conditioning.

Just as adults do, kids and teenagers experience pain due to participating in physical activities that are new or unique. Lengthy practice times, intense workouts, and overuse can result in soreness, pain, and discomfort. Top injuries for athletes 6 to 19 years old include sprains, strains, fractures, contusions, abrasions, and concussions; young athletes are eager to perform at their very best, and may not recognize – or heed – warnings that they are at risk for an overuse injury. (See our Related Post link below)

Dr. Andrew Gaetano notes: “Healthy movement is created by regularly changing your movement habits, giving good variety to your body in how you use it, and establishing a good foundation for movement patterns. Overuse injuries can be reduced by regular change in habits (as in cross training, changing up training routine or participating in several different sports), as well as establishing a foundation of movement patterns that are favorable for whatever activity you are doing. This includes having enough mobility and flexibility for the tasks, and your body also knowing how to properly control all the body parts in play. Moving well, often, and varying your activities or habits is a good start. Physical therapists can guide you through that process and ensure that the movements patterns being created are healthy ones.”

Tips for injury prevention and improved athletic performance during summer camp:

Pre-Season Conditioning: Preparing in advance for a session of intense activity can avoid a whole host of problems. Maintaining healthy levels of endurance, strength and agility is part of avoiding the initial soreness or pain associated with heightened levels of activity in summer camps.
Stretching & Warm-Ups: Stretching is one of the best ways to avoid injury. Warm-ups prepare the muscles for performance, and post-activity stretching promotes muscle recovery. Learn more: Stretching: When to use dynamic vs static stretching.
Protective Gear: Young athletes should always have proper equipment in good condition.
If Something Hurts: It can be tempting to continue to play through an injury, but immediate treatment or attention to the injury can reduce pain and prevent long-term or permanent damage. (See Knee Pain in Queensbury Student Athletes)
Sunscreen: Make sure your student athlete has access to sunscreen and knows how to apply it properly. (See this Consumer Reports article on sunscreens)
Proper Hydration: Drinking enough water is critical to staying healthy! They should drink plenty of water 15 to 30 minutes before exercise or strenuous activity, during and after play.

Pre-Participation Screenings

Capital Area Physical Therapy & Wellness offers functional movement running evaluations and sport screenings with slow motion video running analysis. We have a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and other qualified staff who can help young athletes find potential problems in their movement patterns and prevent problems before they occur.

Contact us today via our contact form, or call us directly at our physical therapy clinics for a personal evaluation or pre-participation screening for your student athlete before attending youth sports camps this summer. Capital Area PT Saratoga, Malta, (518) 289-5242 and Queensbury NY (518) 502-1154. Find out how we can help keep you in the game!

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