What Parents and Coaches Need to Know About Injury Red Flags
How to catch the warning signs early—and how MoveRx can help.
Summer is in full swing, and that means weekend baseball tournaments, early morning practices, and the start of preseason volleyball and football. With all this activity, now’s the time to pay close attention to your athlete’s health and movement. Between growing bodies, repetitive movement, and competitive pressure, injuries can happen. As a parent or coach, your job isn’t to stop the game—it’s to recognize the warning signs that something’s not right before it becomes a bigger problem.
Here’s what you need to know about injury red flags, and how MoveRx’s cutting-edge Vald ForceDecks technology can help prevent small issues from turning into major setbacks.
🚩 Red Flag #1: Limping, Stiffness, or Favoring One Side
Youth athlete testing at DiBetta Sports Performance
If an athlete looks off-balance, avoids using one side of their body, or walks with a limp, don’t write it off as soreness. It could mean a muscular imbalance or underlying joint issue that’s putting them at risk.
What ForceDecks can reveal:
Even if a limp is subtle, ForceDecks can show exactly how much weight an athlete is placing on each leg during jumps or landings. This allows us to pinpoint compensation patterns that may not be visible to the naked eye.
🚩 Red Flag #2: “It Just Feels Weird”
If your athlete says something feels weird, hurts randomly, or “just isn’t right,” pay attention. Kids don’t always have the words to describe pain—but vague complaints are worth a closer look.
What ForceDecks can reveal:
ForceDecks measure how quickly and powerfully an athlete can produce force. A noticeable drop on one side could mean the body is protecting a strain or early injury—even if the athlete doesn’t know it yet.
🚩 Red Flag #3: Frequent Fatigue or Slow Recovery
Is your athlete constantly sore or unusually tired after practices and games? Are they taking longer to bounce back than others their age?
What ForceDecks can reveal:
Our data can track how neuromuscular fatigue is impacting performance. If an athlete’s force production keeps trending downward, it’s a sign they’re not recovering properly—opening the door for injury.
🚩 Red Flag #4: Performance Plateaus
Sometimes the issue isn’t pain—it’s performance. If your athlete was progressing and suddenly hits a wall, something might be holding them back physically.
What ForceDecks can reveal:
ForceDecks allow us to evaluate jump height, takeoff and landing strategy, asymmetries, and explosiveness—all in just a few seconds. This performance data helps us catch weaknesses before they lead to injury.
How MoveRx Uses This Tech
We’re proud to be one of the only clinics in Acadiana with Vald ForceDecks—the same technology used by pro teams, D1 programs, and elite rehab centers. Every test is non-invasive, quick, and incredibly revealing.
We use it to:
Assess injury risk
Track progress over time
Customize strength and recovery plans
Give you peace of mind that your athlete is truly ready to play
Want a Baseline for Your Athlete?
MoveRx offers Pre-Season Movement Screens that include ForceDeck testing and a full musculoskeletal evaluation. Whether your kid is starting a new season or coming back from an injury, we’ll help you know exactly where they stand—and how to keep them in the game safely.
Schedule your athlete’s screen today
Let’s build strength, confidence, and longevity—together.
