Unfortunately, adolescents usually do not take preparation seriously. Stretching repeatedly through the day is instrumental in avoiding injuries and cramps. By discussing this with many athletes over the years, we have heard that many coaches are good about having children stretch before sports, but may neglect stretching afterwards, which is just as important. Coaches of Soccer, gymnastics and dancing are notable exceptions. Virtually no children are aware that it is important to stretch in the mornings and in the evenings, too.
Muscles tighten up during exercise and during sleep.
Keeping muscles limber decreases the incidence of injuries, but especially strains, sprains and tears. It also increases athletic performance, since a stretched muscle has more contractility than a tight one. Once these general measures are followed, sport-specific injury prevention can be tackled. Our next article in this series on warm weather hazards deals with this issue. P.A. Dr. Mark B. Levin Dr. Levin has been a member of the staff at The Pediatric Group since 1977.