Should Your Child Play Football?

Read this article about Matt Birk, the Baltimore Ravens center. CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE. He states,

"Birk says soreness is just part of the game, and "you're not going to last if you can't deal with it."

"Guys play the game for different reasons," Birk says. "One of them is the challenge, the physical challenge, the mental challenge, to see how much you can take. How much you can withstand. And it's about developing that perseverance every week. Getting your body and your mind ready to go.

"I mean, everybody's sore. Everyone who played yesterday is sore today. That's just part of the game, and you're not going to last if you can't deal with it."

When Birk pops various parts of his body every morning, he jokingly calls it
"his body's way of resetting itself." He compares playing in cold weather to starting an old car. It takes a while for the older guys to get their joints warmed up and moving.

And finally, "In the fall, one of the most painful things he does has nothing to do with blocking. It's when he's on the floor, playing with his kids, and tries to pick himself up. Birk wriggles and struggles and pushes with his arms and shoulders. That's when he feels the rigors of the NFL the most."

What's the good news?....."Birk always has been proactive when it comes to his body. The day after a game, he heads into the Ravens' facility to lift weights and "flush out" the toxins and soreness. He stretches. The Ravens have team chiropractors, and Birk takes advantage of the perk and usually sees them on Mondays."

Take home message: Prepare your body for the rigors of sports, especially contact sports. That means a proper strength and conditioning program AND a regular maintenance care program with a chiropractor who knows injury care AND injury prevention.