How To Make Sure Your Child Doesn’t Get Injured in Sports Prematurely, the Advanced Alignment Way…
When your child comes to you and says excitedly, “I want to play football this year,” what’s your first reaction? Probably happiness that they’re excited about something, but perhaps some apprehension about what possible injury could come down the line. That isn’t an easy sport on anyone’s body, especially a young body that is in the growing stage of life. But, what if there was a way to ensure that you could make playing competitive sports a whole lot safer for them?
Injuries in children and teens from impact sports happen all of the time. How many of these can be prevented? (I dare to say that MOST of them can be prevented!) The goal here is to prevent an injury before it happens. Many people get injured in their younger sports days and those injuries come back to haunt them later in life and can become a major issue that causes a whole slew of issues ongoing. I hope to mitigate this from happening!
According to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital,
“The picture of youth sports in America is changing. Youth athletes often begin their competitive sports careers as early as age seven, with some youth participating in organized sports activities as early as age four, if not sooner. With an estimated 25 million scholastic, and another 20 million organized community-based youth programs in the United States, the opportunity for injury is enormous… Sports injuries are the second leading cause of emergency room visits for children and adolescents, and the second leading cause of injuries in school. Approximately three million youth are seen in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries and another five million youth are seen by their primary care physician or a sports medicine clinic for injuries. These numbers leave out the injuries not seen by a physician.” Kid’s Sports Injuries, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
The good news is that most of these injuries can be prevented if there is a thorough analysis of how the body is fully aligned BEFORE they get thrown into the court or field… here’s how this works.
Full-Body Alignment Analysis by Advanced Alignement
We bring the practice of Family Wellness together with a big focus on making sure your student-athlete is fit for duty! Checking alignment within the body is imperative. This allows me to put together a perfectly aligned program that can help them prevent issues, and stay healthy and fully mobile, with the key here being less prone to injuries. Here is a small sampling of what this analysis will let you know:
- Does the spine align properly to allow for full movement?
- Does the neck pull any areas of the spine out of alignment?
- Are there signs of headaches or other issues that need to be addressed?
- Is there an imbalance in the way that they walk?
- What workout routines can be added to strengthen weaker areas in the body?
- Is there an imbalance in the activity between the brain hemispheres that can be addressed?
- Are there any areas in the ankles, knees, neck, elbows, etc. (the joints) that are misaligned that could cause an issue with more and more impact (running, jogging, hitting, falling, etc.), or an imbalance of strength or joint range of motion?
- Any pre-existing conditions or malalignments?
- How will this unique body react to intense, repetitive training during periods of growth?
- How well are the feet aligned for running and higher impact training?
- What are some positive overall health additions that can make them thrive more while playing sports?
Why Is This So Important for Student-Athletes?
I know firsthand what diving into sports without a full understanding of the body can mean. I spent many years as a competitive student-athlete in both football and wrestling throughout high school and went on to play football for the University of Massachusetts only to have inconsistent health derail my athletic career. It was beyond devastating, to say the least. Had I been able to address the root issues within my body’s alignment and overall health earlier in my athletic career to understand if I was foundationally sound to do the sports that I threw myself into, I know that my career as an athlete wouldn’t have been derailed so soon!
So, parents, before you put your kids into athletics, make sure their foundation is structurally sound for them to thrive!
Here’s how this works: I thoroughly evaluate the body’s alignment (spine, nerve flow, coordination, joints, etc. per the above) to ensure that you understand what corrections can be made for them before they step onto the field, court, etc. I will provide a program with my recommendations that can help get your child set so that they can feel their best as they move into whatever sport they desire. I’ll even share the real truths that can help you and your child assess what is and is not good for them longer-term.
Summary
Before you let your kid step onto the basketball court, football field, baseball or softball field, volleyball court, soccer field, etc., have a deep understanding of where their body is at and any improvements that can be made to ensure they don’t get injured prematurely by a neck or spine malalignment, a joint issue, etc. This can save you and your child a lot of heartaches and help prevent a lot of common injuries that can get worse and worse as they grow older.
GET YOUR STUDENT-ATHLETE ANALYSIS SET UP WITH DR. CHRISTOPHER BOYHAN.
Call (828) 848-3068 or email me here.