With the school year about to start in the coming weeks a new high school sports season is also around the corner, which means not only a chance to cheer and root on the local teams but also the risk of injury that accompanies playing the games.
However, there are steps to take to make sure these injuries are handled properly and in some cases even prevented.
Although physical therapy is often associated with taking place after an injury has occurred, there are growing ways that are proactive and designed to help prevent injury.
“We offer pre-injury screenings as a way to get a baseline to see if there are areas we need to focus on,” said Mick Janusko, owner of ACTive Family Physical Therapy.
According to Janusko, the screenings can help pinpoint areas of the body that may need further strengthening to prevent a serious injury from eventually taking place.
“We can work on a range to increase mobility or strengthen a certain area,” Janusko said. “If you’re jumping or cutting and are not able to control your motions it can lead to injury, especially in high school when kids are still growing into their bodies.”
That continued body development even into high school is why Janusko is a proponent of making sure parents are encouraging their children to play multiple sports instead of just specializing in one.
“There are so many benefits associated with playing various sports, including cutting down on the amount of injuries and burn out that kids go through,” Janusko said.
Playing the same sport throughout the year instead of switching it up can lead to extra wear and tear on the certain muscles used during that specific sport, while playing other sports that focus more on other muscle groups can allow a proper time for muscle recuperation.
According to Janusko, as a result, the training program an athlete develops will also be based on the sports they play, as some sports, such as football, basketball and volleyball require a more lateral mobility and quick cutting focus, while softball, baseball and golf would take a more rotational movement approach.
“It can be a hard to relay that message at times, but it is very important as a parent to be responsible for keeping your child on the right path,” Janusko said.
He has experienced the same feelings many athletes who come and see him are having as they begin the rehabilitation of their injury, as he suffered two ACL tears while competing in high school.
“We connect ourselves so much with the sports we play, and I know what it’s like to identify with a sport and then to have that identity taken away suddenly,” Janusko said. “It’s the physical and mental side that you have to be able to address.”
However, one of the things Janusko loves about the physical therapy world is the amount of continuing education that is required to take place and the advances in therapy that have taken shape because of it.
That includes keeping track of the latest new surgery methods doctors are using so that the physical therapy after the fact can be best tailored to complement it.
“It’s really about having a plan in place and that includes post-game massages and therapy sessions throughout the season to make sure athletes are maintaining their health,” Janusko said.
