Back to School: Prepare for and Prevent Common Sports Injuries
Don’t overlook preventable, yet serious injuries such as skin infections
As athletes head back to school, many have already gone back to sports. That means an increased possibility of injuries due to heat exhaustion, being out of shape from summer break and being back in direct contact with other athletes.
More than 30 million athletes participate in sports each year in the United States with the most common types of sport-related injuries being sprains (mostly ankle), muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries, and heat-related illness.(1) However, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, skin infections also are a top injury for certain sports(2) and a recent review of infectious disease outbreaks found that skin diseases accounted for more than 50 percent of all infectious diseases in competitive sports.(3)
Concussions, fractures and sprains typically occur at full speed and often a fraction of an inch can separate a good move from a severe injury. There are steps that can be taken to help minimize the chance of injury, such as assuring proper protective equipment is used at all times.
Yet, skin infections such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are preventable if athletes, coaches and parents are educated and execute a plan for prevention. In July, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) issued a new position statement on Preventing Skin Diseases in Athletics in order to raise awareness about how to prevent skin infections in sports. Read more