Many high school athletes think pain and injury are supposed to be part of a student athlete's life. Since these athletes were young baseball or football players, overzealous coaches have urged them to play through their pain and injuries. More than once they have heard a coach, parent or team member say "Take it for the team" or "No pain, no gain."
Like college and professional players, many high school athletes have discovered the fun and exciting world of sports isn't always fun and exciting.
Young athletes often think that accepting pain without complaint shows they are real competitors. They don't recognize that a sports injury can often result in disabling health problems when they become adults. There are many 20- and 30-year-old former high school football players whose knees ache every time they get out of bed in the morning.
Even worse than future adult disabilities are those high school athletes who risk their current health and, in some extreme cases, their lives by playing through pain and ignoring their injuries.
Don't forget the fun
There are risks and dangers in sports just like in the everyday world.
But Joaquin Santos, a Wichita sports physician who has seen many high school sports injuries, said "many young athletes forget that sports are supposed to be fun, not painful."
Thousands of athletes suffer injuries that cause them to lose playing time. One local example is Anthony White, a Free State High School wrestler who was unable to compete for nearly three months after he tore the ligaments in one of his toes.
Santos indicated that high school sports injuries range from this type of muscle or tendon injury to life-threatening heatstroke and abuse of steroid and weight supplements.
"The main thing for young athletes to remember is that while injuries are a part of competitive sports, young athletes can reduce the risk of injury," Santos said. "If athletes get the right amount of rest and nutrition and if they train correctly, they can lower their risk of injury by at least 50 percent."
Training can be one of the most stressful things that high school athletes endure during their lifetimes. Training injuries can range from stress fractures to improper nutrition due to use of weight supplements.
"Many injuries that young athletes suffer from usually occur off the field or court while the athlete is practicing or training," Santos said. "Training for a sport can be just as punishing on an athlete's body as being in the game."
Weight training is one of the most common causes of sports injuries. Many of these injuries occur because the athlete is not properly trained.
"The typical weightlifting injuries are rotator cuff tendinopathy, weightlifter's cephalgia and stress injuries to the vertebrae," Santos said.
That pounding sensation
Another common but dangerous high school sports injury is a brain concussion. That pounding sensation in a young athlete's head may be life-threatening.
Researchers from the Journal of the American Medical Assn. determined that approximately 63,000 high school athletes a year suffer from mild concussions.
A headache is one of the symptoms of a mild concussion. If an athlete starts to feel dizzy, has difficulty with his or her balance or memory, is confused or has personality changes, they probably have a concussion.
Abuse of weight supplements is a common problem for high school athletes. Santos said these products can cause health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, reduced muscle strength and even an increased chance of cancer.
No pain, no gain. No guts, no glory.
These might seem like great coaching concepts, but student athletes who are injured for life because they tried to play through the pain know better.
Chris Santos is a senior at Free State High School.
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