Your daughter needs to stretch and warm up before physical activity to help prevent injury. Your daughter needs to stretch the major muscle groups at a slow and steady pace. Each stretch should be held for 15 to 20 seconds and repeated several times without jerking or bouncing movements.

Most physical activities are safe for children because children are not big enough to generate the force that causes more serious injuries in adolescents. Most injuries experienced by children are minor (for example, bruises, cuts, strains, and sprains). As children get older, they participate in sports such as field hockey and basketball, which involve more collision and physical contact. To avoid or minimize the severity of injury, help your child practice the following strategies:

• Know and abide by the rules.

• Wear appropriate safety equipment (for example, shin guards for soccer, a batting helmet when hitting a baseball, and a helmet and body padding for ice hockey).

• Know how to use safety equipment (for example, know how to adjust a bike helmet).

• Allow enough time for sufficient healing and rehabilitation after injury.

Overuse injuries are repetitive injuries caused by musculoskeletal stress resulting from intense physical activity or from a rapid increase in activity intensity or duration. Your son may be developing an overuse injury if his symptoms are occurring more frequently and lasting longer. Your son likely has an overuse injury if he experiences (1) soreness or pain lasting up to several hours after physical activity; (2) soreness or pain during and after physical activity, and the next morning; and (3) soreness or pain during routine activities as well as physical activities. If your son has these symptoms, he needs to be evaluated by a physician.

Shin splints are a type of overuse injury that occurs in the lower leg. Children and adolescents who have flat feet or who overpronate their feet (motion that lowers the arch or inside edge of the foot) during physical activity are at risk for shin splints. Appropriate footwear with good arch support and shock absorption can prevent shin splints. If your daughter's pain persists, take her to a physician for evaluation.

Children and adolescents who participate in football, wrestling, ice hockey, and gymnastics are at greater risk for injury. During the growth spurt, adolescents are more susceptible to certain injuries (for example, fractures). But these injuries are usually not serious and do not mean that children and adolescents need to avoid these activities.

Musculoskeletal injuries should be treated with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE): (1) rest from any activity causing pain; (2) ice the injured part of the body for 20 minutes at a time, protecting the skin with a towel; (3) compress the swelling with a support wrap applied firmly but not too tightly; and (4) elevate the injured part above the level of the heart. Your son needs to see a physician if any swelling or distortion of a body limb (for example, fingers, arms, legs) does not go away quickly, or if he continues to have difficulty performing activities.

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