Concern Over Teenage Football Injuries

QUESTION: My son is a wide receiver on his high school football team, a great
player, and very important to the game plan of his coach. I always fear that
if he were to be injured, he would get back in the game too soon, and really
damage his chances of a future career. Can you advise me as to the right type
of treatment he should be getting on the field, and what I can do to protect
him?
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ANSWER: It's not an easy question to answer specifically, and it's not an
easy game your son is involved in. It's a contact sport, and the violent
forces that go into that contact make the likelihood of injury very high.
According to the National Athletic Trainer's Association, 37% of all high
school football players suffered an injury that required the player to stay
out of action for the rest of the day in which the injury occurred. The best
"ounce of prevention" for such injuries is a sound, well designed training
program that provides exercises to develop muscular strength, muscular
endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance as well as speed, flexibility, power,
agility, coordination and balance. Your next defenses lies with knowledgeable
officials who apply the rules, particularly those concerned with player
safety, strictly to the letter. Good coaching is a must, and most high school
coaches are sensitive to the future aspirations of their players and consider
those factors first even in the heat of a hotly contested game. On the field,
first aid relies on four major principles. Any injured player must be removed
from the game for examination and the necessary treatment of the injury.
Appropriate first aid for almost all injuries includes rest (splinting if a
fracture is suspected), application of cold packs or ice to the injured area,
and rest for the injured part and player. Ice helps reduce the amount of
swelling and helps control pain. A cold pack or ice pack should be wrapped in
a towel, applied to the injury for twenty minutes, removed for ten minutes,
and then the cycle is repeated. All injured extremities should be elevated to
reduce swelling and the accompanying discomfort. Any suspected fractures
should be x-rayed and then treated. In a game that is close, particularly
where your son may be an important factor, even a father can be swayed by
events. There should be one individual on the field who, hopefully, is
maintaining an objective perspective. It is the school physician who may be
in the best position to assure that your son is treated correctly, and it is
from this nonbiased professional that you can obtain the best counsel if an
unfortunate injury does occur.