Youth and College Athletes Category
High school and college athletes: future NBA, NFL, MLB, and Olympians…or maybe just high school and college kids playing the game for the love of the sport. Whatever their goals, youth and college athletes put their bodies through a lot! The rigorous practices and intense games are a lot on their own, but then factor in the injuries these athletes could sustain and you can see why only the top of the top succeed.
Youth and college athletics are a major part of today’s culture that go far beyond extra curricular activities. Competitive high school athletes often turn into collegiate athletes, who may then eventually go pro. No, it’s not typical but it happens. You know what else happens? Injuries in youth and college athletes.
Regardless of their sport or division, these youth and college athletics are no joke. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is split up into Division 1, Division II, and Division III sports, but then there’s also club and intramural sports. Plus, high schools have varsity and junior varsity teams to prepare students for competing at the college level. But are they prepared for the common injuries youth and college athletes face? That’s debatable.
There are many different sports available to youth and college athletes, just some of which include:
All youth and college sports come with their own set of risks but the intensity at which some of these sports are played and the extreme amount of pressure athletes face to perform may increase the risk of injury. There’s a desire to win in any competitive game, but even more so when a college scholarship is on the line. This could lead to college athletes pushing themselves past the point of safety and into the danger zone. That only means one thing: injuries.
Injuries are unfortunately common in youth and college athletes. While sports injuries of any sort are always upsetting, they can be particularly inconvenient for college athletes, whose primary focus is getting back in the game so they can maintain their scholarships. This could lead to athletes not properly rehabbing their injuries or not taking the proper precautions to prevent the injuries in the first place. Both are bad news.
If you’re involved in youth or college sports (that includes you, high school athletes), we can’t stress enough the importance of finding a good physical therapist you trust. As a college athlete, having a physical therapist for sports-related injuries is like insurance. Yes, you hope you never need to use it but in the event you do, you’ll be glad it’s in place. Do yourself and your team a favor by taking all the necessary precautions possible to prevent yourself from getting injured. And in the off chance that you do sustain an injury from a youth or college sport, Next Level Physio is here to help.