Child injuries in Hollywood and other communities are common among athletes. If your child plays a sport in school, he or she may be at risk of head injuries, soft tissue injuries, fractures, and other injuries. Sports injuries are getting more attention across Florida – and not just at the professional athlete level. Many people are now recognizing that child injuries related to sports can lead to a lifetime of injury and long-term consequences.
While playing a sport can help teach discipline, teamwork, leadership, and other valuable life skills, every parent of course wants to ensure that their child stays safe while playing a sport. If your child plays a sport at school or during an afterschool activity, make sure that you:
1) Ensure that your child uses correct safety gear at each game and practice as needed. Proper safety gear – such as helmets in contact ports – can help prevent serious injury and can even save a child’s life. Since many injuries occur at practices and not just games, your child should wear the correct safety gear every time he or she plays the sport, even if they are just practicing.
2) Help your child condition their body and avoid exceeding capabilities. If your child is flexible and strong, he or she is more likely to avoid injuries. It is also important that your child avoids exceeding their abilities and gradually builds confidence as well as expertise before trying a more demanding level of play. Proceeding too quickly can lead to fractures, sprains, and other injuries.
3) Teach your child to pay attention to sport-specific risks. Each sport has its own specific risks. Contact sports such as football, for example, have a higher risk of fractures, head injuries, soft tissue injuries, and back injuries. Sports such as basketball can pose a tripping risk. Understand what risks your child can experience with their sport and teach your child how to recognize and avoid those risks.
4) Instruct your child to warm up and cool down before each game and practice. Warming up and cooling down correctly can help prevent strained muscles as well as other injuries.
5) Look out for recurring injuries. If your child has been injured, it is important that he or she takes time away from play until they are completely healed. If they fail to do so, they could be at risk of a recurring injury. Head injury patients in Hollywood and other communities, for example, may sustain even more serious and dangerous injuries if they return to their sport too quickly after an injury – and secondary head injuries sustained before a first injury has healed can be very dangerous.
6) Place your child so that he or she trains in safe conditions. You can avoid child injuries by making sure that your child is correctly supervised and plays on a safe surface and with correct equipment and space. Speak to the coach or person in charge of training at your school or your child’s afterschool activity to ensure that safety is a concern for the program.
If your child has been injured at school or in an afterschool activity, contact Flaxman Law Group to find out what can be done to get justice and compensation in your situation. Pursuing compensation is your right and can help you secure money that can help pay for quality medical care and other services for your child so that your child can make the fullest recovery possible. An initial consultation with Flaxman Law Group is free of charge and comes with no obligation, so you risk nothing.