by Jess Hippo

Created on: March 26, 2008

Have you ever been playing basketball when all of a sudden the ball jams your finger? Painful, at the least. Or how about when your playing baseball/softball and bam! The ball hits you so hard in the leg or arm that you can see the bruise slowly forming? Not fun. Its times like these that call for a smart individual who has prepared a first aid kit. Why not be that smart individual?

If you grew up playing sports or you are still actively involved in them, your no stranger to the good old sports injuries. You know that they happen suddenly, are painful, and are more than likely to happen. You also know that anybody who can offer immediate relief is like a God at that moment.

Of course, your no doctor, you cannot provide medical treatment if it is necessary, but you can help yourself out a bit. Preparing a first aid kit for sports is much like preparing a first aid kit for the home, there are basic necessities:

1. Band-aides
2. Gauze
3. Tape
4. Scissors
5. Tweezers
6. Peroxide or your preferred antiseptic product
7. Ointments/Topicals. These include specialized products for your eyes, ears, mouth, burns, scars, etc.
8. Cotton Balls/ Tissue

Bare basics above. However, you are playing a sport, your going to need a little more to be fully prepared.

9. Splints
10. Braces
11. Sunblock, if you are out in the sun
12. Bug Spray
13. Ice
14. Extra water

Of course, if you think of other useful products by all means include them, you really never know when something is going to come in handy.

No matter what sport you are playing, you need to be able to clean and protect your wound, there are many germs that can be acquired in a situation like this. Think of that dirty basketball or softball that you and everyone else have been touching, or the sweat that has been dripping off your body in your work-out. Water is great for an initial/ending cleaning, and since there is a good chance of you not being near any running or extra water, bring it with you. We all know the natural, phenomenal power of ice when it is placed on a wounded area. Also it really proves the serve a purpose later on, as it seems to be half the size it could have been. Splints and braces can be painful but none the less beneficial.

Sports are fun but they are known to be situations in which injuries arise. The only thing you can do is prepare yourself or your family/friends by being ready to help with a sufficient first aid kit.

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