Sports Injury Prevention
April 26, 2011
Despite the fact that they have half my genetic material, my children are athletes. They enjoy playing organized sports. And when they aren’t playing sports they enjoy running around and sweating. They have a natural, burning desire to just move their bodies. I have a natural, burning desire to conserve energy and relax.
Last week was Safe Kids week, Safe Kids is an organization that works to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability for children ages 1 to 14. Their goal is to raise awareness on the prevention of sports injuries by focusing on four main areas.
Preparation: Pre-participation Exams: The school district we live in requires physicals every year in order for students to participate in athletics. In order to make sure that all students get one, they are offered by area physicians at a low cost. Dying suddenly from cardiac reasons is the leading medical cause of death among college athletes, researchers reported in the April 19 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Many physicians now recomend a routine ECG for student athletes.
Hydration Since we have moved to Texas, I have noticed a real emphasis from coaches to athletes about the importance of staying well hydrated. Many people mistakenly believe that if they drink when they feel thirsty they are drinking enough water. Staying well hydrated means taking in adequate amounts of water all day long even prior to physical activity.
Concussion Awareness I learned more about this than I ever wanted to know when my son sufferred a concussion during a football game a few years ago. His experience brought me into contact with doctors who were experts in the field of concussion prevention and treatment. People are now becoming aware of how serious concussions can be and how devastating the effects of ignoring one.
Acute and Overuse Injury Prevention I was recently having a conversation about this very topic with the parent of one of my son’s baseball team mates. Our kids play different sports each season or take months off, but none of them play the same sport year round. Some of the kids play the same sport all year long, the thinking being that it will make them better and improve their skills. What experts are finding, however, is that specializing at such early ages leads to more injuries. Overuse injuries that used to be seen in 30 year old professional athletes are now being seen in children as young as 10 years old. These types of injuries are serious and potentially debilitating for life.
On May 2 at 12 pm EST, there will be an educational webcast about sports injury prevention on the Safe Kids Facebook Page. It will be hosted by:
Dr. Angela Mickalide, CHES, Director of Research and Programs, Safe Kids Worldwide
Dr. Douglas Casa, Director of Athletic Training Education, University of Connecticut
Dr. Gerard Gioia, Chief, Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology and Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) Program at Children’s National Medical Center
Steve Young, former NFL Star Quarterback and On-air Talent ESPN
I am excited to listen to the webcast and hear what they have to say about the latest developments in keeping our student athletes healthy. I hope that everyone who has kids involved in sports will come and listen, or at the very least check out the Safe Kids website.
Disclosure: As a mother of young athletes this is a subject near and dear to my heart. All the writing and opinions contained in the post are my own. I was compensated by Johnson and Johnson, who support the Safe Kids Worldwide campaign, to highlight the organization and bring attention to their work in keeping our children safe from preventable sports injuries.
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