When I played sports as a kid, I played football during football season and basketball during basketball season. These days, kids as young as 8 and 9 dedicate themselves to one sport and end up playing that sport year-round! I don’t even know how many times I’ve advised parents to have Johnny or Susie get a few weeks of rest to give their bodies time to heal; and that advice is usually followed by ‘but he can’t sit out, we have super-duper selects coming up next week.’I cannot repeat enough times how important it is for kids to rest their bodies and not compete in sports year-round! I work on many youth athletes and I am grateful for that. Chiropractic is essential for athletes to help them keep that range of motion and muscle flexibility. Pro athletes such as former Cowboys star Emmitt Smith, all-pro wide receiver Jerry Rice and 2015 British Open winner Zach Johnson credit chiropractic for keeping them in their respective sports.Chiropractic for athletes, young and old, can help reduce the possibility of injury and also speed up the recovery process if an injury occurs. But it’s also important, for kids especially as they are still growing, to wear the proper equipment such as pads, helmets and shoes and to REST their bodies.