The Right Equipment Really Does Prevent Injury

Sports can be a lot of fun, but they can also lead to a sleuth of injuries. With modern research behind athletes, injuries are farther and few between. This is largely because of the equipment athletes use in their chosen sports. Using the proper equipment for each sport is a very important part of preventing injuries to the players. Here are a few examples.

-Helmets
Helmets are used in a variety of sports including football and baseball. In football, players often take hard hits to the head either from the impact of other players or from the ground itself. Baseball players are always in danger of being hit by the fast ball when they are up to bat. Because of modern research and technology, helmets are about the best protection athletes have against concussions and other head injury issues. Helmets, according to business week, distribute the impact that forceful hits would take on the skull. While not all concussions and head injuries can be prevented by helmets, the overall degree of severity and the number of occurrences is greatly reduced.

-Safety Guards and Pads
A number of different sports also require players to wear safety guards or pads of some kind. Those sports include football, hockey, volleyball and plenty of others. Any time the athletes are going to be engaging in high contact sports or will be falling to the ground with a lot of force, they may need padding to help alleviate the impact. Even inline skaters sometimes wear such standard equipment. These pads can prevent a number of things such as cuts and scrapes, major sprains, fractures, breaks and other injuries. They cannot prevent every circumstance, but they certainly reduce the number of sports related injuries coaches see.

-Proper Shoes
When participating in any sport, the athletes also need to have the right shoes. Shoes can help those playing enjoy better games, but they can also prevent injuries. Cleats are common for field sports like football, baseball and soccer. They can prevent the players from slipping and twisting an ankle or causing another injury. Cyclists need special cycling shoes to reduce foot pains that can develop with the repetitive motion. And runners need the right running shoes in order to reduce the risk of overuse injuries. The right shoes are also a good idea for basketball and racquetball players. These shoes are called court shoes and they have good support and great traction that can prevent slipping as well. Shoes cannot prevent every injury, but they greatly reduce the injuries that athletes rack up, especially when it comes to repetitive motion and slipping.

Other Ways to Prevent Injuries

When it comes to the right equipment, athletes need to be advised of what they should wear at all times. Not only do the sports players need to have the right equipment, but they need to ensure that it fits correctly.

Ill-fitting equipment is just one of the things that can lead to injuries on the field or in the court. Here are some other ways athletes can prevent injuries.

- Ensure the protective gear required fits properly.

- Warm and and cool down to prevent muscle over extension or sudden exertion. This can also help prevent strains and sprains as well as tears or even breaks.

- Understand the rules of the game so no one acts improperly causing an injury to him or herself or another player.

- Play for others so that each player is watching out not only for his own game, but also for the game of others so that he or she can avoid sudden impacts or other mishaps. Watching out for others is a huge part of preventing injuries.

- Avoid playing when injured. If an athlete already has an injury, he or she should step away from the game until that injury is completely healed.

- Stay hydrated with water, especially in higher temperatures when the athletes are working hard.

- Observe a safe playing environment and do not engage on a field or court that is uneven or has something wrong with the playing surface.

- Never do too much too soon and increase activity levels in a gradual manner so that the body does not go into overdrive and cause an injury.

- Watch the temperatures to make sure they are not too high or too low. Weather can cause injuries just because of the temperature.

There are a lot of things to consider when participating in any sport. The right equipment is a great start to preventing multiple possible injuries.