Spring has sprung and the weather will soon get warmer, and then the sports season will be in full force. This is why April is recognized as National Youth Safety Month, helping to create awareness about protecting youth from sports injuries.

Sprain’s, scrapes and bruises are inevitable, but as Pediatrician for Guthrie County Hospital, Cody Silker explains, some of the more common injuries she deals with are, “head injuries, concussions as well just kind of the aches and pains, knee sprains, ankle injuries, broken bones especially in the summer, broken wrists, broken arms, those kind of injuries are common.

With the warmer weather coming, Dr. Silker explains why good hydration is key, “obviously drinking plenty of fluids, throughout practices and throughout games, even every twenty minutes people should be drinking some type of fluid, water for the first hour, then I always recommend doing more of an electrolyte type of drink, if you’re going more than an hour, such as Gatorade or something just to also have electrolytes in there and not just water“

She also suggests to wear lighter clothing and to apply sunscreen, during the hot and humid weather. As with anything, she suggests, to stop activity if there is any amount of pain.

Dr. Silker suggests that providing children with adequate rest breaks during practice and games helps reduce injuries, “As well as even time off, make sure to have one day off a week, and not over do it.”

Before the spring season really kicks off, make sure to get your child into a local doctor’s office for a sports physical.