Play It Safe: Kids Corner

Aired on Superstation WGN
Saturday, April 2 and July 2, 2005

Show 210

She shoots, she scores. She falls and breaks her ankle. Instead of celebrating that game winning point, you're making a fast break for the ER. With over 30 million kids today in the US, and participating in some type of organized athletic event and even more, enjoying other recreational activities; what can you as parents, do to prevent your child from being sidelined due to an injury? The first thing is proper equipment. That goes for recreational activities like riding a bike or skating as well as organized sports. Experts say that while one in three kids is injured while participating in team sports, more than half of these injuries can be prevented. Not only should the equipment be the right size and appropriate for the sport, the child should be too. A child shouldn't be playing a sport that's beyond their capacity. Your child should also be properly conditioned for the sport and warm up beforehand. Playing surfaces should be well maintained. No holes in the field, ruts on the court or bumps on the track. And even with all of this in place, it's still important for children to be supervised. It's not enough to make sure your child is safe during games and matches. Research actually shows more kids get injured during practices than they do in games. A sports injury doesn't have to be par for the course. With a little bit of planning, your child will be making lay ups on the court instead of being laid up on the couch.