If your children play sport, you may want to work with them to help avoid back injuries. Back pain is one of the most common health issues in Australia, and by helping your children learn to protect their backs when they are young, you can set them up for lifelong positive habits. Here are some points to keep in mind:
1. Safe Sports
Ideally, to protect your children's backs, you may want to stay away from high-impact sports such as rugby or sports with risks of falling such as horseback riding or gymnastics. However, all sports have an implicit risk of injury, and if your child's really passionate about a sport, it may be better to take the relatively small risk than not play. In the grand scheme of things, the risk of injury from sport is likely less than the risk of back pain from a sedentary lifestyle or the health risks associated with obesity.
2. Stretching
Regardless of which sport they play, your children should spend some time stretching before working out. In most cases, coaches lead a stretching session before sport practices, but if the coach doesn't insist upon stretching, you should have your children spend 10 to 20 minutes stretching on their own before practice.
This is also important before solo workouts such as skateboarding, running, or swimming. It warms up the muscles and loosens them, helping to reduce injuries to the back as well as other areas.
3. Careful Weight Training
As children get older, they may want to augment their sport playing with strength training. This can useful for nearly every type of sport, but you need to ensure your children are being safe. Ideally, children should focus on strength training rather than weight lifting. This means that they should focus on controlled movements rather than trying to bench press or deadlift the most weight possible. To ensure your children are using the proper positioning and not lifting in a way that strains their back, you may want to have them work with a trainer or use nautilus machines rather than free weights.
4. Foot Support
If athletes don't have the right support in their shoes, their feet hit the ground in imbalanced ways as they run and jump, and this transfers pressure to the knees, hips and ultimately the back. To reduce the risk of back injuries, your children's shoes should be the right size, well fitted and supportive. If your child has flat feet, you should consult with a podiatrist about arch supports. They can be beneficial at reducing back pain in general and in particular, they can be essential while playing sport.
5. Off-the-Field Techniques
What children do off the field can also impact their likelihood of injuries on the field. To prevent back injuries in particular, encourage your children to have good posture. If possible, provide them with an ergonomic chair if they spend a lot of time computer gaming or studying at a desk. Alternatively, sign them up for a yoga class so they can practise engaging their core.
6. Addressing Sport Injuries
If your child experiences a sports injury, seek the proper treatment so that the situation doesn't get worse. Even if your child hasn't experienced a specific injury but is complaining frequently about back pain, you may want to contact a sports injury specialist. These professionals can advise you on specific techniques to strengthen your child's back or products such as back braces to protect your child's back from strain. In addition to proactive measures, they can also help treat any injuries or pain your child has.
