Injuries seem to happen in every sport. No matter what sport, injuries are prone to happen.

From broken bones of the football field, to the sprained wrist of table tennis, injuries can happen anywhere at any time. At PHS, the school has taken some precautions to prevent injuries from happening as often.

The school has teamed up with IU Health Paoli and their staff to help players be more prepared, and aware of injuries. Concussions, which have become a more serious injury, has been taken more seriously, and more precautions are being made.

“We have to educate the kids on injuries, and how they need to be treated,” said head football coach Brian Balsmeyer.

Balsmeyer feels that injuries are taken more seriously now with a trainer on staff, and has taken some precautions to keep his players from being injured.

“We provide our team with the best equipment we can,” said Balsmeyer.

The football team has also seen a rise in injuries in the area of MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) and ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tears. This area of the body is located near the knee, and has been a reoccurring injury this season.

“There is really no way to prevent a player from tearing it,” said Balsmeyer. “We can only help strengthen the athlete with ground based activities, and help stabilize the joints.”

After injury athletes are sent to the trainer, and go through certain procedures before being allowed to play again.

“Most players are sent to work with a doctor or a trainer to help with the rehab,” said Balsmeyer. “The rehab protocol needs to be followed before players come back, and may need to see a certain doctor due to their injury and for communication purposes.”

Like Balsmeyer, head volleyball coach Kyle Neukam has also stepped his game up to prevent injuries.

“We use braces to prevent rolled ankles, lift weights and condition,” said Neukam.

Neukam has not seen many serious injuries this year, but he has seen a few.

“Kennedy Nelson was elbowed in the nose by Hannah Balsmeyer,” said Neukam. “We told her to stop calling her names.”

With the recent studies on the brain, an individual suffering a concussion could cause neurodegenerative diseases. Without proper rehab and training, injuries can become more serious, and lead to death.

No matter what the injury, athletes should always see someone and make sure they do not let it get any worse. An injury cannot only affect the plans for a future athlete; it can also affect their life in the long run.

Story by Ian Bostock