PREVENTION
Protecting yourself against many types of sports injuries can be difficult, as many sports injuries are caused by situations that are fast-developing and unpredictable. Preparing yourself for unpredictable situations is impossible, but there are certain precautions that you can take to lessen the chance of injury. There are three main areas where you can greatly decrease the likelihood of serious injuries.

1. Firstly, and most important, is stretching. Stretching is the most effective injury prevention technique, and is particularly useful in getting muscles loose and warm. Ask your coach or parents for stretching ideas, and suggest that your team do 5-10 minutes of stretching at the beginning of every practice and game. In addition to stretching, light running can also help loosen and warm up some muscles before a game or practice.
2. Secondly, it is extremely important to wear the proper protection and equipment for your sport. In soccer this means shin pads and cleats, in basketball this means high-top sneakers, and in contact sports like football and hockey, it’s extremely important to use every pad and protection device that is provided. This protection technique can be most effective in preventing or minimizing sudden injuries and bruises.
3. Lastly, an important injury prevention technique is moderation. Especially with kids, it is important to practice moderation by not overworking yourself, or pushing yourself too hard. School sports are supposed to be fun, so don’t let them take over your life. Staying in good shape is important, but many people can overdo it causing serious injuries, so take it easy. This technique is most useful in preventing stress and strain injuries. 

Practice these three strategies, and you will have done volumes towards helping prevent sports injuries.
 
AVOIDANCE
Avoidance is the second part of PACT, and ties in very closely with prevention.  If you practice all the protection techniques, you are taking steps towards helping yourself avoid serious sports injuries. But what else is important? Well, avoiding injuries while you are engaged in a particular sport is easier than you think.

In almost every sport, avoiding sudden injuries or collisions with other players is all about the eyes.  Keep your head up. In team sports like football, hockey, basketball and baseball, players have collisions that can result in serious injuries. When you know you’re going to be hit or collide with someone, your body will naturally contort, tense up, and your arms will go out to protect you. This makes collisions much less serious, and depending on speed and momentum, can usually prevent any serious injuries.

On the other hand, if your head is always down, you’ll never be prepared. You could get hit or run into another player at the same speed, but because your body wasn’t expecting it, the likelihood of injury is greatly increased. In addition, it is obviously a good idea to avoid doing specific movements in sports that are very difficult or strenuous on your muscles or bones. Don’t overestimate your body’s ability.

COPING
After an injury, you aren’t as concerned with prevention and avoidance as you are with coping and treatment. When you are seriously injured, you may go from an extreme high, like being the captain and playing every game, to sitting on the sidelines cheering your teammates on. This can be very difficult to deal with emotionally. The length and severity of many serious injuries can be very frustrating as you feel like you’ll never be the same again. When you are injured, it is important to transfer your motivation and energy from the sport itself, to the process of healing. If you are an active and responsible healer, and you follow all the instructions given to you by your doctor, your recovery can be rapid and complete. If you don’t follow the doctor’s advice then you’re healing process could take much longer.

Also, remember how important sticking to routines is to keeping your spirits up. Continue to go to every practice and game. Cheer on your teammates instead of becoming withdrawn from them. Dealing with an injury can be difficult, but with friends around you can feel less alone during the recovery process.  A good leader displays courage and friendship even at the most difficult times. There is something called a self-fulfilling prophecy.  What this means is that if you believe something enough, you can make it true. This applies to both the negative and positive sides of this process.  If you tell yourself you are worthless, don’t follow instructions and think that you’ll never be the same athlete again, you probably won’t. At the same time, if you do all you should and stay positive, you can speed up your recovery. Physical therapy is extremely important in recovering from a sports injury, but so is mental therapy. Your mindset and attitude can do more to help your recovery process than you think. Keep these ideas in mind, and coping will become much easier. 

TREATMENT
Treatment refers to the physical or medical things you do to improve your injury. Physical therapy may be required with serious injuries; these treatments vary depending on the injury. Obviously it is important to consult a doctor, physical trainer, or nurse at school before doing anything. Then, follow their strict remedies and programs. With minor injuries, there is one strategy that is commonly used.  It’s called RICE, which is sort for:

REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, ELEVATION

RICE is most useful in injuries that result in swelling. Rest the injured area as much as possible. Ice the injured area with a protective cloth, and following a twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off schedule. Compress the injured area with an ace bandage or soft cast, especially if you are planning on remaining active. Finally, elevate the injured area above your heart. This will help with swelling by not allowing excess blood to easily gather in the swollen area through gravity. Treatment is really a mixed bag, but keep in mind, treating even the smallest injuries is always a good idea. When you go through a long, grueling treatment process for the first time, it will also inspire you to be more careful in the future with both preventing and treating injuries. But hey, accidents happen. If you’re injured, seek help and follow through with the treatment, and hopefully you will back in the game in no time!

You now understand all the aspects of the PACT. Take these words seriously, and pass your knowledge along to friends. But don’t forget to have fun!