Safety measures

The nonprofit National Youth Sports Foundation for the prevention of Athletic Injuries has formulated a comprehensive list of safety measures for children's sports.

Athletes and parents should know the inherent dangers of the sports the children are playing.

Athletes should:

• Always have a preseason physical by a sports medicine specialist.

• Have an off-season and preseason conditioning program. The plan should be designed by a person with training in exercise physiology and directed by the coach.

• Perform warm-up and cool-down exercises led by their coach.

• Be allowed to choose not to play if they are injured and feel there is a risk of further injury to themselves.

• Be coached by adults with at least a minimum level of competence in the sport and a knowledge of injury prevention, conditioning, exercise physiology and psychology; and first-aid and CPR training and an emergency plan in case of serious injury.

• Play in a safe facility.

• Have approved safety equipment that fits properly.

After an injury:

• Begin return with light (equal to or less than 50 percent of full speed), sport-specific drills.

• When you can do the drills and remain pain-free for 24 hours after the activity, increase the intensity to approximately 75 percent of full speed.

• If pain reoccurs during drills, modify drills.

• If pain hinders your next practice, decrease the intensity and change movement patterns to straight forward/backward movements.

• If pain stops before next practice, stay at previous intensity or decrease slightly.

• Always be aware of hazardous conditions.

• If problems persist, see your physician.