Preventing Athletic Injuries

Gr 7 Up—The stories of three teen athletes who are recovering from sports injuries are interspersed with advice from a sports psychologist and an injury prevention expert. Dr. Laura Miele states that of the six million sports injuries young people incur annually, roughly half could have been avoided. She warns that while many athletes are motivated to play through slight injuries, doing so can lead to chronic injuries and ultimately end a sports career. The seriousness of head injuries is stressed, and the symptoms of concussion are described. The video focuses on how to prevent injuries, and offers some simple guidelines including warming up and cooling down; getting proper rest, nutrition, and hydration; training for one's sport and cross training to prevent overuse of particular muscles; conditioning and strengthening the core; and wearing proper safety equipment. The athletes are featured conditioning and engaging in their sport, and they discuss their love of the game and the challenges of recovering from injury. This program provides a clear, succinct presentation of why these injury prevention procedures are important and how injuries can impact teen athletes.—Constance Dickerson, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, OH