As parents, we all enjoy hearing the crack of the bat and watching our child round the bases, enjoying the fun and fitness that comes with the Sport of baseball. There is a trend today, however, to allow children to get too heavily involved in sports at an age when their bodies are still developing and can suffer long term damage from overuse Injuries. At Sound Foot Care Center of Connecticut, we want to help parents protect the podiatric health of their children. When it comes to baseball (and other youth sports) consider these suggestions for making sure your child doesn’t end up out of the game:

1. Have your child checked for pre-existing conditions—a podiatric check up with our board certified foot and ankle surgeon, Harris Greenberger, can reveal any mechanical or structural problems with your child’s feet or ankles. If he or she has had previous foot injuries, the podiatrist will check them as well to make sure they have healed properly and will not be at risk of re-injury when they start the new season.
2. Vary sports year round—encourage your child to play different sports throughout the year and to also take a season off to allow the muscles, joints, ligaments and bones a rest. Studies show that the practice of playing a single sport year round and at younger and younger ages is resulting in more overuse injuries because of the repetitive motions and strain on the same parts of the body by playing only one sport.
3. Check the team for proper training techniques—how to slide safely, take off from the bases, catch a fly ball and other skills all need to be taught properly to reduce the risk of injury from these specialized movements. Be wary of coaches who short-cut training drills and are focused more on winning than on correct form and technique.
4. Treat injuries promptly. Encouraging your child to “tough it out” or using phrases such as “no pain, no gain” sends the wrong message to youth. Playing when injured can not only worsen the injury, it can result in permanent disability that will follow your child all through life. If your child complains of pain or you notice redness, swelling, bruising or anything that looks out of place in the toe, foot or ankle, contact our Norwalk office at once for an evaluation by calling 203-866-7686.

You can help your child be an all star on and off the field by encouraging good foot health from a young age.

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