All Articles by Lindsey Barton Straus, JD

Soccer players can suffer ankle sprains in a variety of ways. Many can be prevented if simple steps are followed.

Instant or chemical cold or gel packs are among the items that most experts say should be included in a well-stocked first aid kit. But, while instant cold or gel packs are easy to store and are more convenient than ice, experts say that they may damage the skin because of the cold temperatures they reach.

The first four steps of first aid for sports injuries to joints such (elbow, ankle, knee, finger, wrist sprains) are known by the acronym "RICE," which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

If your child's ankle gives way more and more easily during sports, and, eventually, during everyday activities, he has developed chronic ankle instability. Often times, such instability is the result of an ankle sprain that has not been allowed to fully heal. Repeated ankle sprains cause a loss of proprioception (communication between the central nervous system and the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the ankle), which, in turn can lead to faulty technique or a sudden loss of control or balance, either of which can, in turn, lead to even more sprains! If your child has a chronically unstable ankle, sports medicine experts say that a rehabilitation program supervised by a physical therapist or athletic trainer (ATC) is absolutely essential.

Along with strains sprains are among the most common injuries in sports. All sports and exercises, even walking, carry a risk of such injuries. Sprains can take as little as a few days to heal or as long as a few weeks. To reduce the risk of sprains, experts, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, make a number of easy-to-follow recommendations.

Ankle sprains are common in youth sports. Here's advice for parents on what should be done when your child suffers an ankle sprain, how to know when your child is ready to return to sports, and what he should do when he returns.

As with burns, there are three "degrees" of sprains: mild (first-degree), moderate (second degree) and severe (third-degree). While the intensity varies, pain, bruising, and swelling are common to all three categories.  Most can be treated in a doctor's office.

Little League Baseball® and Little League Softball® require the use of safety-release or break-away bases, because a traditional stationary base, bolted to a metal post and sunk into the
ground, is a rigid obstacle for an athlete to encounter while sliding
and poses a clear safety hazard.

Two new studies suggest that heading in soccer may result in weaker mental performance, including a decline in cognitive function, difficulty in verbal learning, planning and maintaining attention and reduced information processing speed. The short term study found that recent heading by players who headed with "moderate-to-high frequency" led in some cases to weaker neurocognitive performance. The long-term effects are less clear. One study found that lifetime heading had "no significant or strong effect... on neuropsychological performance." But the other reached a different conclusion, noting "players with the highest lifetime estimates of heading had poorer scores on scales measuring attention, concentration, cognitive flexibility and general intellectual functioning."

An April 2007 Canadian study found that children receiving emergency room treatment for a head injury (HI) are nearly twice as likely to experience another HI requiring medical attention in the next six months compared to children who initially visited the ER for a non-head related injury. The Canadian study is consistent with earlier study finding that once an athlete suffers a concussion, the risk of suffering a second concussion is three to four times greater.