An athlete’s guide to preventing sports injuries
Derrick Rose, Robert Griffin III, Greg Oden. The list of promising athletes who have had their career cut short due to injuries goes on and on. Sports injuries are some of the most devastating things to happen to any athlete. Luckily, there are ways to prevent them.
Staying healthy as a high school athlete can be especially hard considering high schoolers are susceptible to age specific injuries. Additionally, high schools typically offer less rehab resources than colleges or professional sports organizations. Coupled with the inconsistent diet and sleep schedule of most highschoolers, the demographic is at a particularly high risk of injury.
Cross country coach and sports medicine teacher, Kathryn Saunders, emphasizes the importance of stretching and rolling to avert injury.
“Stretching and rolling is really beneficial,” Saunders said. “Don’t save stretching and rolling for when something already hurts; do it before you start hurting.”
Regular stretching or rolling keeps an athlete’s muscles lean and flexible, reducing the stress that is put on the muscles during physical exertion. Saunders points out the value of a proper warm-up and cool down as well.
“We have to do a proper warm-up and cool down when we work out,” Saunders said. “Cold muscles don’t respond to stretching very well so we kind of have to put them through the range of motion to warm them up so that they’re loose when it comes time to push them hard. A cool down helps lower your heart rate and it also helps flush out some of the buildup in your muscles.”
Sports medicine, a second-year course at Samo, teaches the treatment and prevention of injuries relating to sports. Sports medicine 2 student and varsity soccer player, Piper Forsyth (’25), has been preventing injuries for herself and other students for years. Forsyth feels taping or wrapping a body part is a necessary precaution for athletes to take.
“Wrapping is important to prevent injuries, especially if you have an area of weakness, because it helps keep your joint and muscles stabilized,” Forsyth said. “For example, if you tape your ankle, it'd be harder to roll it or sprain it to the side. Wrapping it just keeps it more stable there. There's less of a range of motion, but that helps so you don't overextend anything.”
Another way to prevent injuries, not mentioned by Forysth or Saunders, but by scientists across the country, is to consume foods and beverages high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. In simple terms, antioxidants can reduce inflammation by preventing or delaying some types of cell damage. Antioxidant-rich foods like berries, nuts, artichokes and leafy greens are common
ingredients athletes incorporate into their diets to reduce the risk of injury.
“It is important to take the necessary measures to prevent injuries,” Forsyth said. “I see so many students get avoidable injuries.”
Injuries can halt or end what would be a promising high school athletic career. Diet, sleep, stretching, sports wrapping, warm ups and cool downs are effective ways to defer an injury.
Mikai Nelson (’26) wraps Lucas Yarmand's (’25) wrist with athletic tape.