By Lila Barry


There is growing concern over the safety of participating in sports in recent years as injuries seem to be more common with more people taking part in these types of activities. Rules designed to protect the players have evolved and there is more emphasis on properly maintaining and caring for facilities and equipment. The most visible safety measure, however, is the use of sports protective wear, which is also seeing a significant increase in its use.

Many types of protective wear are available and can be chosen depending on the specific needs of the person playing as well as the demands of the chosen sport. Some types of protection are mandated by the rules of the games, particularly in more dangerous sports. In some instances people may choose to utilize additional equipment to suit their needs.

A sport that uses an obviously large amount of protective padding is American football. Anyone playing this game must, by rule, wear a helmet, a face mask, a mouth guard and shoulder pads. In most cases hip, knee, thigh and tailbone pads will be required as well.

Ice hockey is another game in which the players are padded nearly from head to toe. It's also an illustration of the increased role of protective padding. Years ago hockey players didn't wear head or face protection. Even goalies used to wear nothing on their heads despite using their bodies to block a puck hurtling toward the net at incredibly high speeds. Nowadays, hockey players are much better protected, including high-tech goalie masks and helmets.

Probably the most commonly-seen variety of safety wear is the helmet. These are used in a wide variety of sports due to the importance of protecting the head in general and the brain specifically. The two games mentioned above use these as do others including auto racing, horse riding, cycling, baseball, snowboarding and skiing.

In some instances this type of equipment is a bit less obvious. For example, in surfing one can wear a rash guard that serves two purposes. One is to prevent chafing from the board rubbing directly on the skin and the other is to prevent sunburn. The leash that attaches to the surfer's leg and the board could also be considered a type of protection, not only for that particular surfer but to keep the board from getting away and endangering others.

In cases where one has already suffered an injury, extra equipment may be used. This can be the case when one is returning from an acute injury, such as wearing a brace or using tape on an ankle that was recently sprained. It is also common in instances where one has chronic problems, such at taping or using a brace on an ankle that is currently healthy but tends to suffer from sprains.

Naturally, different sports have different levels of injury risk and different parts of the body that are most in danger of being hurt. Whether one is trying to prevent an injury or to protect an already injured body part, sports protective wear can be very useful. Fortunately there are many high-quality options available to help one avoid serious injury.




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