As a parent of a 5 year old who wanted to play baseball last year, I figured that once spring rolled around we would look into getting my son signed up. Well, little did I know that sign ups are held in February and by the time we investigated the issue, we had missed the deadline completely! Needless to say, this year we were prepared and we registered for little league as soon as we heard about the sign ups. My son is 6 now and involved in 3 different sport activities and I understand the pain of those parents who say they feel more like a chauffeur than a parent. Don’t get me wrong though—we are enjoying every minute of it!

I have never been one of those moms that freaked out at the thought of her son playing sports—not even football or hockey. I am a huge sports fan and I understand the injury risks involved in any physical activity. However, I happen to believe that the benefits of participation in team and individual sports certainly outweigh the risks. The confidence, patience and self discipline that a child can develop in these activities can have an impact on the adult that he or she will become. But what if he gets hurt? That is a concern of any parent. There are many sports rehab facilities, physicians who specialize in sports medicine, trainers who work in the school systems and strength coaches who make a living conditioning middle school and high school students so they don’t get hurt. The quality and amount protective equipment combined with safety regulations required by most organizations is amazing to me. When I was a child, few (if any) of these measures were in place to keep me safe, and I still managed to survive! So like most of you, I will enter this spring and summer a bit worried about sports injuries, but also with excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead for my son.

If you have a need for rehabilitation for a sports injury, please visit www.ecommunity.com/rehab and learn more about our locations and our pediatric therapy services for younger children.