Preventing Sports Injuries – Sports injuries can often be prevented. Elastoplast Sport offers this checklist as a guide to help prevent sports injuries.

Checklist	Things to Consider
Have you stretched and warmed up your muscles and ligaments?	Cold muscles, tendons and ligaments are more vulnerable to injury Stretching improves flexibility, which allows you to move your joints through their full range of motion. Check out      Elastoplast’s video library of short stretches and exercises.
Are you adequately hydrated?	Playing in hot weather will result in extra fluid loss (dehydration) Dehydration contributes to fatigue and may make you more susceptible to cramps, heat stress and heat stroke Children are at a greater risk of heat stress
Have you strapped or taped areas of potential stress or injury?	Strapping can be used to support a weak or injured joint and to protect healthy limbs. Strapping also reduces the recurrence of injury by as much as two-thirds. Find out how to apply sports strapping tape with our guide.
Are you using the right equipment for the sport you are playing?	Types of equipment include: eyewear, mouthguards, wrist, elbow, knee and shin guards, helmets, tapes and braces. See Elastoplast’s range of Support and Braces here. Choose footwear carefully, preferably with professional advice Using the proper equipment helps reduce the risk of incurring injuries by the sports participant
Have you protected your mouth?	Mouthguards help prevent tooth damage or loss, reduce cuts to the lip, mouth and tongue and decrease susceptibility to jaw fractures and risk of concussion
Are you using a safe playing environment and following rules and regulations?	A safe environment will reduce the number of potential injuries Avoid playing on poor, wet or slippery surfaces and watch out for lack of goalpost padding or safety netting. Allow an inspection of the playing area before commencing activity to ensure there are no dangers eg pot holes, obstacles or sharp objects Rules and regulations of the game need to be clearly outlined and enforced and sometimes modified for children The likelihood of incurring an injury is dramatically enhanced if suitable rules and regulations are not adopted
Do you have the proper technique and have you adequately trained?	Correct techniques and appropriate training helps improve fitness. You can minimise injury by keeping an eye on increases in activity and not doing ‘too much, too soon’