Twenty two percent of all high school athletes suffer major injuries that prevent them from playing their respective sport each year.

Even though these injuries may be minimized, high schoolers often don’t follow proper procedures to prevent them from occurring.

Teenagers Grow Like Weeds

Sport injuries are equally as common between  high school athletes and professional athletes, however they are way more dangerous on high schoolers. This is due to the fact that mostly all high school students are still growing, and these injuries could potentially  impact their growth.

According to Parenting.com, the growth spurt between girls starts around the age of ten and lasts until fifteen. With boys, major growth can be seen between the ages thirteen and eighteen.

Acute Injuries, the Most Common Among Athletes

Acute and overuse are the two types of sports injuries that occur.  Acute injuries are the most common type among high school athletes, this type of injury is caused in a specific moment due to a sudden trauma.

According to Orthoinfo, this type of injury is mainly seen in collisions between players. Other types of overuse injuries are bruises, fractures and sprains of ligaments, muscles or tendons.

Overuse Injuries, the Most Dangerous in Sports

Overuse injuries are not as common, however they can be significantly worse. These injuries don’t happen in a single event, instead  they develop over a period of time. They mostly are discomforts along a muscle or a bone. Their are some ways to stop the pain, however the problem will most likely remain.

According to Orthoinfo, they normally occur when the body does not have enough time to heal between playing. A player must be completely healed before he returns to normal activity.

“This type of injury is much worse. Especially due to the fact that the emotion of a player can hide the pain during a game just so he can play. This is very wrong, it should not happen, these injuries should be treated extremely carefully,” Urbano Mesa, high school soccer coach said.

Risks of Contact Sports

Athletes are constantly in risk of suffering any type of injury, however some sports have proven to be more dangerous than others. Contact sports, such as soccer, basketball and especially football are responsible for most of the injuries of high school athletes.

According to a study conducted by NCBI, twenty two percent of all high school athletes are injured each year. From a total of one thousand two hundred eighty three  students, two hundred and eighty were injured. The sport with the most injuries was football at sixty one percent.

Is Soccer the Most Dangerous Sport Played in Colombia?

Even though football is statistically the most dangerous sport, it is barely even played in Colombia. Soccer, which is the most popular sport here, is arguably the most dangerous one played as well.

“The sport is really rough, that is the main reason why so many players get injured. The soccer fields that are currently being build do not help at all. For example most synthetic fields are extremely hard, which makes it more likely for someone to suffer an injury,”  Mesa said.

Is Stretching any Good?

Prevention is absolutely crucial in order to minimize the risk of getting an injury. Previously, some people believed that stretching was vital, however recent studies have proven otherwise. Instead, they  highlight the importance of a proper warm up.

“The athlete loses coordination and strength making it even likelier for him to suffer an injury. Only warm ups are good, as they increase the corporal temperature and decrease the viscosity of the blood.” Luis Fernando Rodriguez, high school P.E teacher said.

According to Dr.Weil, stretching may  reduce strength in targeted muscles by six percent. If the stretch is held for more than a minute, the impact may be even worse. It also drops explosive muscular performance by as much as three percent.

According to medical writer Maria Cheng, stretching increases the risk of suffering an injury. Traditional stretches often cause the muscle to tighten instead of relaxing it, which is not ideal.  Apart from this, overstretching may lead to loss of range in motion, creating a decline in performance and making the body likelier to get injured.

Importance of Warm Ups

Warm ups are completely necessary and absolutely essential to minimize the risks of suffering from an injury. They are healthy  for the body  as they give it time to adjust breathing and heart rate, they also  help to lubricate different joints.

“Generally most injuries come from people who don´t do warm ups. Its key to have healthy habits as well, such as using proper shoes for the activity and working in appropriate spaces,”  Rodriguez  said.

According to mydr.com, warm ups are able to enhance the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles by increasing blood flow. They promote energy releasing reactions and also direct nerves to muscle pathways.

According to Pain Science, the best way to prevent any injury from happening is to only  warm-up before the physical activity . It gets the metabolism going and makes tissues more pliable. As proved before, stretching can increase the chances of getting injured.