Injuries are very serious for athletes at any level, and it is important to know how to prevent them effectively, according to the web site Safe Kids Worldwide .

There are many different ways to prevent injuries. Some people have a routine they carry out on a daily basis to keep muscle aches and pains away. Others stretch, eat healthy, or workout to keep themselves in shape. It is also important to find other activities that allow athletes to stay active during their sport’s off season said Marcus Oshiro, one of the athletic trainers on campus.

“Doing outside activities like swimming, something that doesn’t have too much impact on the body but still allows you to move and stretch and strengthen at the same time,” said Charlaine Katsuyoshi, a ballet and contemporary teacher at Mid-Pacific. 

90 percent of high school athletes say that they have suffered an injury while they were playing a sport, according to Safe Kids Worldwide. When an injury occurs, make sure to visit the trainers near the gym to be safe. 

‘We can evaluate you and recommend our next steps to get you back on the playing field,” said Oshiro. 

Athletes should get into the habit of stretching to reduce their chances of getting an injury during their sport’s season. 

“I do a lot of stretching, because I know that if I don’t, I can get tight, and I can get sore which can lead to injuries,” said level 7 and 8 dancer, Lexee Howes. 

According to eleventh grade varsity baseball player, Cayden Okada, the best way to prevent injuries is to: get a lot of sleep, keep a steady, healthy diet, and to incorporate stretching into your routine before and after practice. He also tries his best to get a quick run in before practices to warm himself up. 

“Lots of people do this and they said that it helps, so I started doing it and I could feel the difference,” said Okada 

A common cause of injury in athletes are muscle imbalances. According to ACE fitness, if a muscle group is overworked and tight, the muscles on the other side of the joint will weaken. Muscle imbalances are very serious because they can change the position of the joint, and change a joint’s path of motion. Correcting muscle imbalances can improve your performance and help to prevent injuries. 

“We are trying not to develop muscle imbalance, but creating more balance in the body,” said Katsuyoshi. 

Most of Mid-Pacific athletes get injured during practice instead of games, which may be caused by lack of focus during practices, said Oshiro.

“Most of our injuries occur during practice, not necessarily games,” said Oshiro. 

Tenth grade, varsity soccer player Curran Matsuki says that injuries are random and cannot be prevented all together. He says that the best he can do is be aware of himself. 

“Be taller, be stronger, be more careful, and be more stable,” said Matsuki