Most of us think of contacting a physiotherapist after an injury has occurred. But did you know that one of our primary goals at Energize Health is preventing injuries in the first place? Especially for kids!

It's natural to worry about your child's safety, especially when they're playing sports. Injuries are unfortunately a common occurrence in many physical activities. Thankfully, there are ways to help reduce the risk of your child getting hurt, and ways to help them recover if they do happen to get injured while participating in their favourite sport.

You can help your young athlete stay healthy and in the game by working with a physiotherapist. Here are 4 ways our Calgary physiotherpists can help your child athlete.

1. Injury Prevention

Pre-Season Physiotherapy Assessment

At the start of a sports season, your child's physiotherapist can perform an assessment to help identify any areas of weakness, tightness, or imbalance that could lead to injury. The goal of this initial assessment is to address any issues before they become more serious and interfere with your child's activity and comfort. Your child's physiotherapist will develop a fun, attainable and personalized injury prevention program. This program may includes stretching, strengthening, and conditioning exercises. We design these programs to help improve your child's overall physical fitness and reduce their risk of injuries. Many of our team members coach youth sports teams in their spare time and we are very accustomed to working with young athletes. Rest assured, your kiddo's injury prevention program will take into consideration your child's strengths and interests to ensure your child enjoys completing the program, and gains a healthy relationship with movement and activity.

2. Injury Management

Physiotherapy as an Aid in Recovery

If your child does sustain an injury while playing sports, our physiotherapists can help with their recovery. During their first appointment, your child's physiotherapist will conduct a thorough orthopedic assessment to determine the nature and extent of the injury. Your child's physiotherapist will then provide treatment to immediately reduce pain and swelling, speed up healing time, and restore function. They can also develop a customized, attainable rehabilitation program will help your child reduce pain and regain their strength and funtion. This will help your child get back to running, jumping, and playing their favourite games and sports as effectively and safely as possible, and prevent injury reoccurance.

3. Education

Knowledge goes a long way!

Our expert physiotherapy team can provide your child with education on how to prevent injuries while playing sports. This can include proper warm-up and cool-down techniques, how to know when to their body needs a break, and how to use protective gear effectively.

4. Performance Enhancement

For competitive athletes, our physiotherapists can also help to enhance your child's performance in their sport. By improving their strength, flexibility, and coordination, they can become more efficient and effective athletes, which can also reduce the risk of injuries.

At Energize Health, we absolutely LOVE helping kids develop a passion for physical activity and healthy lifestyles, while decreasing their risk of injury. If you're concerned about your child's safety, your child is struggling with continuous nagging pain or injuries, or your keen young athlete just wants to further progress in their sport, consider consulting with one of our physiotherapists to learn more about how they can help! 

Book Physiotherapy Online at our North Calgary Office

Book Physiotherapy Online at our South Calgary Office