While injuries are bound to happen in such contact sports as football, hockey and soccer, their incidence can be greatly minimized by wearing the proper protective gear and practicing proper technique.

``Protective headgear, mouth guards and wrist and shin guards have all been shown to be effective in preventing injuries,'' says Kai Aboulian, who is both a physical therapist and athletic trainer at Foundry Sports Medicine in Providence.

``It is crucial for the high school coaches, as well as youth sports managers to place an emphasis on safety and proper technique from the beginning stages of sports and recreational activities.

``Coaches who are teaching helmet or face-to-the-numbers tackling and blocking, are not only breaking the football rules, but are placing their players at risk for permanent paralysis or death.''

In this week's Visit to the Training Room on the projo.com High School Sports blog, Aboulian offers: Several suggestions for reducing head and neck injuries

* Athletes must be given proper conditioning exercises which will strengthen their necks and deep paraspinal muscles so they will be able to hold their heads and upper back firmly erect when making contact.

* Coaches should drill the athletes in the proper execution of the fundamental sport skills, particularly blocking and tackling. In the sport of football, for example, contact should be always be made with the head up and never with the top of the head / helmet. Initial contact should never be made with the head / helmet or face mask.

* Coaches and officials should discourage the players from using their heads as battering rams when blocking and tackling. The rules prohibiting spearing should be enforced in practice and in games. The players should be taught to respect the helmet as a protective device and that the helmet should not be used as a weapon.

* All coaches, physicians and athletic trainers should take special care to see that all of the players' equipment, particularly the helmet, is properly fitted and maintained.

* Players should check their equipment before and after each practice and game and make sure that it is not defective or broken.

* When a player has experienced head trauma or is showing the signs of head trauma, which include loss of consciousness, visual disturbances, headache, inability to walk correctly, obvious disorientation and memory loss, the athlete should receive immediate medical attention and should not be allowed to return to practice or game without permission from the proper medical authorities (physician and athletic trainer).

* A number of the players who died as a result of brain trauma complained of headaches or had previous concussions prior to their deaths. Players should be made aware of these signs and symptoms and also be encouraged to inform the team physician, athletic trainer or coach if they are experiencing any of the above mentioned signs and symptoms of brain trauma.

* The coach should never make the decision as to whether a player is fit to return to the game or active participation in a practice if that player experiences brain trauma. That is for the team athletic trainer and physician to decide, and coaches need to be in close contact and communication with them.

* Finally, another important effort has been and continues to be the improvement of football protective equipment. It is imperative that old and worn equipment be properly renovated or discarded and continued emphasis be placed on developing the best equipment possible. Manufacturers, coaches, athletic trainers and physicians should continue their joint and individual efforts toward this end.

(Some of the information was obtained from National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research.)