Today we’d like to talk about the importance of preventative care when it comes to high school injuries.
Almost fifty-percent of such injuries are caused by what’s called “overuse.” Overuse, just as you’d suspect, is when athletes fail to take a break, push themselves too hard, or lack the proper training for that respective sport. As practitioners of orthopedic physical therapy in Downers Grove it’s something we see quite often.
Naturally, overuse as a medical condition is simply impossible to diagnose. Athletes always experience fatigue or exhaustion; the trick is to identify when the athlete reaches what’s considered “the breaking point” where further activity will result in an injury.
When injury does occur, it is usually repetitive motion injuries as well as sprains. As with all athletics, the best preventative method is stretching and knowing when to take a breather. To the latter point, coaches and parents alike have to work to change the culture of high school athletics and emphasize that taking a break is good for the athlete and the team.