In today’s world, it seems more and more kids are involved in sports. It’s estimated that around 30 million children participate in organized sports in the United States. It’s also estimated that around 775,000 of these children will be treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries. I’ll come back around to this statistic in a bit, but first I’d like to highlight some of the positive’s of children being involved in sports. I know everyone is aware there are health benefits to kids participating in sports, but there are also psychological and social benefits as well.
Let me start with some of the social benefits to kids playing sports. Kids that are involved in sports are less likely to start smoking, and also less likely to drink alcohol and use any drugs. Playing sports gives kids a sense of belonging, which can help increase their self-esteem and self-confidence. Playing sports and being part of a team also helps children learn to make friends and interact socially.
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, children who play sports in high school are more likely to be academically successful, and also more likely to graduate high school and attend college.
Some of the Psychological benefits include life skills such as learning time management and the understanding that you win sometimes and lose sometimes. Statistics show that students who are in sports activities are less likely to suffer from depression and high amounts of stress. Participating in sports also helps to foster leadership skills that can carry on with children through their adolescence and into adulthood.
There are loads of health benefits to kids participating in sports. Sports can help kids develop motor skills and coordination; dribbling a ball or running drills helps kids develop finer tuned motor skills. It probably goes without saying that kids who are i sports are more likely to be fit and in shape. This also means that they are less likely to be overweight and typically remain at normal weights throughout their childhood and into adulthood. These children are also less likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes, which can be caused by a lack of physical activity and being overweight. Also, kids who play sports are more likely to exercise as adults. They tend to carry the habit of exercising with them into adulthood, which means they live a healthier life as an adult too.
It’s obvious that being active and part of a sports team can foster loads of positive things in a childs life. I want to come back around to the statistic I started with though, that 775,000 kids are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries. Obviously quite a bit of these injuries are fractures, dislocations, lacerations and damaged ligaments or tendons, however, a lots of these injured athletes are leaving the emergency rooms with as much spinal stress as they had when they arrived.
It’s becoming more widely known that professional sports teams, professional athletes and Olympians have chiropractors they see on a regular basis to help them perform at their optimal levels by making sure their bodies are free of any spinal stress and nerve interference. If chiropractic care is part of an Olympian’s or professional athlete’s regimen, than wouldn’t it make sense to have your child checked by a chiropractor to make sure they are playing sports at their optimal level free of nerve interference and spinal stress?