Guide to Protective Equipment in Football, Baseball & Other Sports

Are you a keen sportsman? If yes, you must be aware of the importance of wearing protective equipment whenever you participate in a sporting activity. Both professional and amateur sportsmen are supposed to use safety gear in order to prevent severe injuries, which are extremely likely to happen.

Naturally, all sports require wearing different type of protective gear, in the form of helmets, pads, footwear, mouth guards, eyewear, gloves, and other essential variants. Nowadays, there’s a plethora of sports equipment brands, available for online purchase. Fortunately, review sites, such as Sports Triumph homepage, provide honest opinion on a wide range of protective gear.

The following guide will provide you with essential information on the most common types of sports injuries and protective equipment.

Common types of sports injuries

The main reason for using protective gear is preventing any type of injury that can occur while doing sporting activities. There are numerous causes for such injuries, the most common ones being traumatic. These are physical injuries that occur suddenly, thus requiring instantaneous medical care in order to avoid further complications. The injured person usually feels terrible pain, accompanied by swelling and bruises.

Moreover, traumatic injuries are a result of either external or internal factors, depending on the type of situation the sportsman is involved in. The former ones refer to situations when sportsmen collide with each other, while the latter ones involve no physical contact.

Furthermore, there is a myriad of external factors leading to sports injuries, usually when a sportsman collides with another player or comes in contact with someone’s gear. In collision sports, like football, hockey, and rugby, it’s actually normal for players to sustain injuries due to the nature of the activity. Therefore, it’s vital for sportsmen to be equipped with the necessary protective gear in order to minimize the risk of getting injured.

However, in some collision sports like boxing, there is no way of preventing injuries, regardless of the safety equipment. You shouldn’t get involved in boxing, unless you use all types of protective equipment and have enough physical strength to fight your opponent. Read more about the dangers of boxing injuries.

Besides collisions with other players, equipment and terrain can be equally dangerous when playing a sport. For instance, getting hit with a baseball bat might result in a concussion, but fortunately players usually end up with a couple of bruises. Also, surfaces play a major role in sportsmen getting injured, due to being uneven or slippery. Both grass terrains and indoor courts tend to cause problems, such as twisted ankles.

Naturally, accidents are an accompanying part of every sporting activity, although some activities are considered to be riskier than others. For example, ice skating and skiing are activities that involve a high level or risk, particularly for inexperienced enthusiasts.

Therefore, apart from using protective gear, you need to be aware of the omnipresent risk of having an accident. Never participate in such a risky activity, if you don’t feel prepared enough to do it. The same goes for other activities, such as: snowboarding, bungee-jumping, rock-climbing, etc.

On the other hand, the most frequent injuries caused by internal factors are sprained and strained muscles. These tend to happen when a sportsman overstrains some of its muscles, which results in a pulled muscle. Make sure you don’t engage in physical activities when feeling exhausted or being ill, as there’s a higher risk of experiencing muscle strain. Visit the following link: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/muscle-strain, to learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of muscle strain.

Common types of protective sports equipment

Helmets are probably one of the most commonly used types of protective gear, keeping sportsmen safe in numerous disciplines. Anyhow, people use dissimilar helmets in accordance with the type of activity they participate in. For instance, hockey, rugby, and American football players wear helmets to reduce the impact when colliding with other players.

In addition, boxers wear them to prevent severe head injuries that lead to brain damage. Conversely, cyclists use helmets as a way of protection from external factors, such as hitting a rock. Regardless of the type of sport, helmets serve the purpose of preventing head and brain injuries that might be fatal.

Footwear is another indispensable type of safety equipment, providing the necessary arch support and comfort. Naturally, footwear has to be adapted to the type of activity in order to provide the required benefits. Therefore, cleats are most suitable for sports like baseball and soccer, while athletic shoes are appropriate for people who enjoy running.

Protective pads are used in a myriad of contact sports, as these provide the necessary level of protection when players come in a violent contact with each other. There are pads for almost every part of the body, such as leg, shin, and knee, chest, and shoulder variants. Tennis players and ice-skaters wear elbow and wrist pads in order to prevent muscle sprain.

Mouth guards, as their name implies, are an essential piece of safety gear in sports that expose your mouth area to blows. Their primary role is to shield your teeth from unexpected hits, particularly in boxing. Also, mouth guards should be comfortable to wear and static, without causing obstruction while speaking.

Eyewear equipment, in the form of sunglasses or goggles, is an extremely important, but often neglected piece of gear. Unfortunately, these aren’t used in a wide range of sporting activities, mainly in swimming, cycling, skiing, and snowboarding. However, eyewear significantly reduces the risk of eye damage as well as improves visibility, which could be extremely beneficial in activities like tennis or badminton.

In the case of weightlifting, bodybuilders wear different kind of gear, such as belts and gloves. The former prevent spine injury, while the latter improve your grip and prevent blisters. If you’re serious about weightlifting purchase a pair of special shoes for greater stability.

Wrap up

Make sure you use protective gear every time you play sport.

It’s for your own safety!

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