Every child who plans to participate in organized athletic activity should have a pre-season sports physical. This special examination is performed by a pediatrician or family physician who:

• carefully evaluates the site of any previous injury
• may recommend special stretching and strengthening exercises to help growing athletes create and preserve proper muscle and joint interaction
• pays special attention to the cardiovascular and skeletal systems.

Telling the physician which sport the athlete plays will help that physician determine which parts of the body will be subjected to the most stress. The physician then will be able to suggest to the athlete steps to take to minimize the chance of getting hurt.

Other injury-reducing game plans include:

• being in shape
• knowing and obeying the rules that regulate the activity
• not playing when tired, ill, or in pain
• not using steroids, which can improve athletic performance but cause life-threatening problems
• taking good care of athletic equipment and using it properly
• wearing appropriate protective equipment

On a larger scale, sports injuries are becoming a public health concern in America. Prevention efforts include wearing protective devices (such as bicycle helmets and pads when skating or skateboarding), and educating both children and adults about safety. Other preventive efforts include changes in the rules of the game or sport to minimize injuries. For example, wearing goggles will be mandatory in women's lacrosse as of 2005 in order to reverse the rising rate of eye and other facial injuries in that sport. Research also continues on improving equipment. For example, thick rubber insoles can help prevent against repetitive injuries from running, but scientists recently observed that they can add to injuries in sports such as soccer, where athletes need to make quick changes of direction. On the other hand, recent improvements in the design and construction of football helmets have been credited with a significant decline in the frequency and severity of head injuries among football players.