Staying physically fit and exercising sensibly can prevent sports injuries. Here’s the playbook on a safe, winning season!

It’s spring and time for the first 18 holes of the year. It’s summer, and softball is calling. You’ve got the urge to play touch football while the turkey cooks on Thanksgiving. Or it’s snowing, and the slopes beckon.

But what happens if you’ve been a couch potato lately? Your burst of activity could land you in the emergency room the first time you take to the field. Men are at greater risk than women for injury, but anyone who’s new to a sport, returning to physical activity after a lengthy break or just unprepared is at risk. Injuries can occur to many parts — bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments or tendons — of the musculoskeletal system.

In addition to adult weekend warriors, children and teens who’ve spent the off-season inactive are also prone to sports and exercise-related injuries. Each year, more than 3.5 million of these types of injuries in children under age 15 are treated in doctors’ offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital emergency rooms, according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Many of these injuries could be avoided by following a few simple rules.

The basics, please

Whatever your age, you can prevent injuries by staying physically fit, exercising regularly and abiding by the rules of the game. To play a sport, regardless of the season, you and your children should:
● Be in proper physical condition.
● Wear appropriate protective gear (e.g., shin guards for soccer, a hard-shell helmet for batting in baseball, and a helmet and body padding for ice hockey or football).
● Know how to use athletic equipment (e.g., correctly adjust snow ski bindings).
● Avoid playing when you’re tired or in pain.
● Warm up before playing, and cool down afterwards.

Take off the pressure

Recreational sports should always be fun, particularly when the players are young. So if you’re a parent, pass up that “win at all costs” attitude of many adults. It can result in children who strive too hard to meet impossible goals, which can lead them to ignore the warning signs of injury. Your child may be so interested in impressing you that he or she continues to play despite increasing pain.

As an adult, you should also use common sense. To make your muscles and joints more flexible, make sure you warm up before every workout or athletic event. As little as 5 to 10 minutes of light calisthenics and stretching exercises, or brisk walking, can limber you up for the game. Afterwards, wind down with the same regimen. Keep at it until your heart rate returns to normal. At all times, pay attention to your body. Stop exercising if you feel very out of breath, dizzy, faint or nauseated. And don’t start or continue if you have pain.

Ouch, it hurts

When injuries happen, there’s a common home remedy you can easily remember by the acronym R-I-C-E — rest, ice, compression and elevation. Most of the injuries that occur from overusing muscles and joints can be treated successfully with this technique.
● REST is needed for repair. Exercising before an injury has healed can make it worse, not to mention make another one more likely. Rest an injury until it no longer hurts.
● ICE is a cheap, safe and effective home remedy for injuries. It relieves pain, slows blood flow to the injury, reduces swelling and speeds the repair process. Ice should be applied for 10 to 30 minutes, on and off over 48 to 72 hours. If you don’t have ice cubes or chips, try 1- or 2-pound packages of frozen corn or peas. They make excellent ice packs.
● COMPRESSION bandages, such as elastic wraps, reduce swelling and loss of motion. Because you don’t want to block blood flow to the injury, stay away from a tight wrap. A snug application will do.
● ELEVATION reduces swelling at the injury site. Keep the injured limb above the level of your heart.

Many sports injuries can be treated successfully at home. But you should consult your family doctor about any injuries to joints that have “popped” and become immediately difficult to use. Also seek medical attention for soreness that doesn’t get better with home care within 7 to 10 days.

By protecting your assets, you’ll be able to bat 1,000!