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Stretching can help keep sports-loving youngsters injury free
By Kelly Smith
Special to The Times
Soccer and baseball are two favorite spring sports for children and teen-agers. But preventable injuries can slow them down in an instant.

There are ways parents can influence their children in order to prevent these injuries.

With younger children a twisted ankle and knee pain are the most common injuries associated with soccer, said Kirby Moore, 37, an athletic trainer at SportsMed in Marietta. Shin splints can occur, but not often.

“We don’t see too many injuries with the younger kids,” said Marietta Soccer League President and coach, Jim Miracle, 47. He agreed that the most common are twisted ankles and knees.

“Usually, kids get out there, unless it’s major, they don’t whine too much. They want to play,” he said.

One contributor to injuries is the rapid growth of children at this time in their lives, said Moore.

“Bones are still soft, growing harder, growing stronger,” he said.

This growth of the bones causes them to separate at the joints, making it easier for injuries to occur. One way to help prevent these types of injuries is to stretch and warm up thoroughly before practices and games, he said.

“Increased flexibility and stretching can be helpful,” he said. Parents need to encourage their children to stretch at home as well to improve their flexibility.
“A team that stretches and loosens up properly is less likely to have injuries,” said Miracle. “I would say 60 to 70 percent of all injuries are caused because of not warming up properly.”

Moore also said children should wear shoes that are in good condition.

“Shoes break down. Eventually, we have to buy new ones,” he said. “Especially in athletics, you have to have good support.”

Shoes that are in poor condition can lead to shin splints, he said. Shin splints are not common because running on a hard surface causes shin splints. During the early spring the ground is soft enough not to cause a big problem, he said.
However, in the latter part of the season the ground will begin to dry and firm up, he said. Parents should prepare ahead of time. Be sure all equipment is in good working condition.

Little League baseball does not cause many injuries, said Moore. The most common are elbow and shoulder pain and can also be prevented by stretching and warming up thoroughly before practices and games.

Pitchers need to be especially careful that they do not develop “Little League elbow.” The injury received its name because it happens so often to young pitchers in the little leagues, Moore said. Throwing too many pitches in a game causes the injury to occur.

A child’s rapid growth is also a factor in this injury.

Regulations have been put into place that limits the number of innings a child can pitch in a week, he said.

Stretching is once again another important method to prevent the malady.
In general, good flexibility and careful stretching before any activity will go a long way toward preventing the most common injuries children get while playing baseball or soccer.