Kids and teens may be eager to return to their regular sports routines- whether they have been side-lined with an injury or after the long summer holiday period, but they should take it slow to avoid injury.
There is always that excitement about returning to sports, but sometimes kids can get too excited and rev up too soon. We often see a sudden rush of injuries happening because a gradual return wasn’t followed.
Injuries can occur whenever an athlete has been side-lined.
Here are some tips for getting kids safely back to their sports.
If young people haven’t maintained their fitness routine during the break, it’s important to re-establish their training levels over six to eight weeks. The muscle memory that protects joints and helps prevent injury needs to be built up again because inactivity can cause muscles to weaken and affects overall stamina.
That’s why it’s so important to not suddenly go from zero to 100. Without the adequate rebuilding of muscles, you could put too much stress on a certain part of the body.
It’s also important to make proper nutrition and hydration a priority. That helps keep the brain in good shape. It only takes a bit of dehydration for your reaction time to start declining, and with the hot weather, rehydration is so important.
Sleep is another priority. Get enough sleep and limit screen time before bed is advised. The recommendation is for nine to 12 hours of sleep a night for children who are 6 to 12 years old. Teens should sleep eight to 10 hours.
Parents should regularly ask their kids how they feel about going back to their sport and if they want to train at the next level or stay where they have been for a while.
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