For many young athletes, August is one of the most exciting months of the year. It marks the return of preseason practices, team meetings, conditioning sessions, and tryouts. There is genuine optimism in the air as athletes prepare for a new season filled with opportunity.
Unfortunately, the fall is also one of the busiest times of the year for orthopedic injuries.
Every fall, we see athletes who were eager to get back on the field but underestimate how much preparation their bodies need before competition began. After a summer of vacations, changing routines, and sometimes less consistent training, it’s easy to assume your body can simply pick up where it left off.
More often than not, it doesn’t work that way.
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is trying to make up for lost time during the first week of practice. Suddenly they’re running harder, jumping higher, lifting heavier, and practicing longer than they have in weeks or even months. That rapid increase in workload places tremendous stress on muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints that simply have not had time to adapt.
The result can be anything from muscle strains and tendonitis to ankle/knee sprains, non-contact injuries, stress fractures, or overuse conditions that linger throughout the season. The good news is that many of these injuries are preventable.
Preparation should begin well before the first official practice. Athletes don’t need to spend hours in the gym every day, but they should gradually rebuild their conditioning, strength, flexibility, and endurance several weeks before tryouts begin. A progressive approach allows the body to adapt safely while reducing the likelihood of injury once practices become more demanding.
Just as important, is recovery.
Sleep remains one of the most powerful performance enhancers available, yet it’s often overlooked. Growing athletes need adequate sleep not only to recover physically but also to improve reaction time, concentration, learning, and decision-making. Proper hydration and balanced nutrition are equally important, particularly during the hot days of late summer when dehydration can quickly affect both performance and injury risk.
Parents – you also play an important role during this time of year.
Many young athletes are highly motivated and naturally want to impress coaches. Sometimes that determination causes them to ignore soreness or play through pain they should not be playing through. While it’s normal to experience muscle fatigue during preseason conditioning, persistent pain, swelling, instability, or limited range of motion should never be dismissed as “just part of sports.”
Listening to your body is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it’s often one of the smartest decisions an athlete can make.
Finally, remember why you’re playing.
Sports provide so much more than wins and losses. They teach resilience, accountability, teamwork, discipline, and leadership. Taking care of your body allows you to enjoy those experiences to the fullest while giving yourself the best opportunity to perform at the highest level.
As another school year begins, I encourage every athlete to prepare with purpose, recover with intention, and compete with confidence. The healthiest athletes are often the ones who understand that success isn’t built during the first game of the season, but the weeks leading up to it.
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