Introduction
Injuries are common during sports. Contact games and non-contact games have a risk for injuries. Severe injuries can turn into life-threatening conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2.5 million sports-related concussions occur yearly.
Not only children but adults are also getting injured during sports. Injuries cause pain, restricted movements, inability to return to sports, and sometimes death. These injuries are preventable with the help of proper training, exercises, protective gear, and a healthy lifestyle. Protective gear is one of the best things to prevent injuries during sports. Therefore, the government applied new rules and regulations about wearing protective gear during sports. These safety gears are available in different sizes and are mandatory to wear while playing sports.
What is Protective Gear?
Protective gear is the equipment that athletes and other people use to minimize injuries during sports, motorcycles, and cycle riding. These are specially designed equipment for different body parts. All the protective gear is certified by the government and follows all the safety requirements.
Sports can be divided into contact sports, sports with limited contact, and sports without contact. Contact sports and adventurous sports can result in fatal injuries. Sports and recreational injuries account for approximately 21 % of traumatic brain injuries in American children, although sports injuries rarely result in death. Protective gear is one of the most important aspects of sports medicine and preventing athletic injuries. The physical therapist's job is to keep people safe, prevent injuries, and treat existing injuries. Physical therapists may benefit from a better understanding of the various available athletic equipment, as this can play a crucial role in preventing injuries.
What Are the Types of Protective Gear?
Protective gear is designed according to sports and different body parts. Some protective gears are listed below -
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Helmets.
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Face guard.
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Chin strap.
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Eye protective wear.
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Ear protective wear.
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Mouthguards.
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Shoulder pads.
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Shin guards.
Why Is Head Protection Important During Sports?
Head injuries are very common and serious injuries during sports. Hard hits with sports equipment, fall injuries, concussion, headbangs, or blow injuries are the reason for head injuries. Head injuries can occur in the form of contusions, hematomas, and skull fractures. Complications of head injuries can cause paralysis, disability, no return to sports, and sometimes death. A concussion is the most common type of head injury. Therefore, head protection is important to avoid injuries and complications during sports.
Which Sports Require Head Protection?
Most contact sports require head protection; some of them are listed below:
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Boxing.
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Football.
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Cycling.
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Ice Hockey
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Hockey.
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Cricket.
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Baseball.
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Softball.
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Car racing.
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Bike racing.
What Are Protective Headgears?
Protective headwear can reduce the severity of concussions and can often mean the difference between a minor injury and a major one. Therefore, wearing proper protective gear when on the field is always recommended. Head protection requires helmets.
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Helmet wearing is necessary for some sports. It is also important for anyone who is riding a bike or cycling. Some important points about helmets are listed below:
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Helmets should be government certified and follow all the safety rules.
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It is required that helmets are crack-free and that proper padding is present under the helmet.
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Any inflation or alteration should not be present in the helmet.
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All the helmets have warning labels from the governing authority.
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Helmet fitting is important. Choose a helmet according to the head size.
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The base of the skull is covered fully with the helmet.
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Make sure the chin straps are present to keep the helmet stable.
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The helmet should not cover the eyes and ears.
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A face mask should be attached to the helmet.
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Helmets can protect from heat injuries (high-velocity) and fall injuries (low-velocity injury).
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A helmet is required in sports like cycling, football, cricket, ice hockey, baseball, hockey, and car racing.
Why Is Face Protection Important During Sports?
People might not think face protection is as important as head protection, but it is just as critical. In some sports, like hockey or cricket, the rules mandate that the players wear helmets and face protective gear. Unfortunately, many injuries occur when players take hits to their faces without protection. Face injuries result in fractures, facial paralysis, pain, bruises, and bleeding. These injuries can be minor or major, depending on the type of injury. That is why it is important to wear a good face shield or helmet during sports to protect from injuries.
Which Sports Require Face Protection?
Sports that require face protection are listed below -
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Boxing.
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Football.
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Cycling.
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Ice hockey.
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Hockey.
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Cricket.
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Baseball.
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Softball.
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Car racing.
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Bike racing.
What Are Protective Face Gear?
Sports like boxing can cause severe facial injury, resulting in fractures, bleeding, and sometimes facial paralysis. To avoid all these conditions, all athletes should wear proper protective face gear. Face shields, chin straps, and mouthguards are important protective face gear.
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Face Shield -
- It will protect from direct hits with sports equipment and with other players.
- Face shields are a must for goalkeepers to protect their throats and face.
- Face shield is important in sports like cricket (for batsman), hockey (for goalkeepers), football (for goalkeepers), and ice hockey (for all the players).
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Chin Straps - Two types of chin straps are present.
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Single Strap - It is used in sports light cycling. It helps in securing the position of the helmet on the head. It allows some rotation to the helmet but is good for positioning the helmet.
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Four Point Chin Strap - It is used in sports like football and hockey. Chin straps are secure helmets with high hookups or low hookups. There are very few chances of chin strap rotation.
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Mouthguards-
- Mouthguards are helpful in sports like boxing and wrestling.
- It will protect the teeth and tongue from getting injured.
- Players have to put a mouth guard inside the mouth during sports.
- Each player has a customized mouthguard.
Conclusion
While playing any sport, the last thing any athletes want to worry about is getting injured. But unfortunately, all sorts of different head injuries can occur during sports, and many of them can be fatal. That is why it is important to have safety equipment, including protective headgear and face protection. These pieces of protective gear can help protect athletes from various injuries. Furthermore, awareness about safety and protection gear is important among athletes. Therefore, all sports authorities should mandate wearing protective gear during sports.
