Q: Every basketball season my son pulls a hamstring in one of the first

games. What can he do to prevent early season injuries?

A: Preparation and conditioning reduce injuries early in the athletic season

and throughout the lifetime of a young or developed athlete.

Always prepare your cardiovascular system. Even young athletes need to have endurance and lung power. Always build your endurance on a steady gradient. You may want to start 2 to 3 months prior to your sporting season, unless you cross train year round. Walking, treadmill, biking and swimming develop increased lung capacity.

Stretching all the musculoskeletal system (muscles, ligaments, and joints) increases full ranges of motion and elongates soft tissue. Early preparation prevents sprain/strain injuries when sudden extreme jolts or traumas occur.

Know your sport and know which muscles have more demand for utilization. For example tennis and basketball require a high degree of foot pivoting so stretch the ankles and knees by isolating the calf, hamstring, quadriceps and anterior leg muscles. Team coaches, trainers or chiropractors are great places to start for information and guidance.

Most young athletes don’t need to over tax their joints with excessive heavy weight lifting. Before the age of 18 most secondary growth centers are not fully established making joints prone to permanent injuries especially with repetitive heavy weight training.

Use common sense and don’t utilize a joint or muscles if it gives you persistent pain or restriction. Consult a sports injury specialist such as a chiropractor.

Quote of the week: " Everything we live through leaves some mark on us."

By Eugene Ionesco