The fall sports season for high school athletes is right around the corner. Many sports teams in local districts have already started practices for the upcoming season.

While playing sports is usually a fun, memorable experience, medical experts are encouraging a few safety measures to avoid injuries.

Experts at Onondaga Physical Therapy say they typically see athletes visit with overuse injuries, such as tendinitis or stress fractures, this time of year. They want to remind parents to talk to their kids about the importance of stretching before practice or games.

In some cases, many young athletes haven't had much physical activity and now are exerting themselves through daily, rigorous practices. Keeping athletes hydrated, doing a dynamic warm-up focused on frequently used muscles, and allowing for breaks is important.

"Right now, we're seeing more of the overuse injuries since the season hasn't quite started yet. Some training injuries, things like that. I wish that we would see more athletes before their season starts because sometimes there's somethings we can pick out, such as a mechanical deviation, that we can help them work on before the season starts to kind of prevent some of the injuries that can happen," said Onondaga Physical Therapy Physical Therapist Caitlin Size.

Size said pre-participation screenings are always a good idea so you can be confident your young athlete is ready for the upcoming season. She said cross training with physical fitness, cardiovascular workouts and a healthy diet are also good ways to prepare for any sport.