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Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D., FAAP

The Research Behind Chest Protectors: Has it been worth the money spent yet?

Where sports are concerned, our inner need to protect our kids can sometimes be at odds with our desire to allow our kids to spread their wings.  While most sports are safe with proper equipment and coaching, there are always risks involved, especially with contact sports. The question is, how safe is some of the specialized equipment our kids are asked to use, such as chest protectors? 

Should sportsman(woman)ship be scored??

My 13 year old daughter’s overnight camp has an Olympic-like competition each summer called College League. Many overnight

What's The Right Amount of Sports For Your Child?

Your child loves sports but is he or she getting the right amount? There is a "right" amount and, while it differs for each child, it always has one feature in common: there is time reserved for free play and other activities.

Riding A Bike: Safety and Developmental Issues for Parents

Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage in childhood but not all kids learn at the same pace and many parents find the process mystifying. There are many safety issues to consider but the biggest hurdles are developmental. Here are some tips and concepts to help you help your child master this age-old

Daily Fitness Game Plan for Your Entire Family

In addition to the heart-healthy benefits of exercise, active kids and
adults are usually more energetic and happier than those not as active.
Use the University of Missouri  "Children's Activity Pyramid"  to see what kids need each day.

This Just In: Our Kids Are Really Not That Fit!

If you ask parents if their kids are fit, most will say “yes”. If you ask kids if they are fit, most think they are. A new study out tomorrow in JAMA rocks those perceptions to the core with quite a reality check. (JAMA. 2008;300[3]:295-305.)

Preventing ACL Injuries In Kids: Really a Matter of Child's Play

Do you remember Dr. Spock's motto, "Live long and prosper"? Great words to live by and a dream all parents have for their kids. However, today's kids may not get to adulthood without some sort of long-term problem created by the sports they love. A recent article in the The Boston Globe with some of the country's leading pediatric orthopedists drives that point home.

Heart Screening In Kids Doesn't Require Fancy Tests...Just You and Your Doctor

When I saw this story today on the BBC News Health page, two simultaneous thoughts popped to mind: parents would be nervous and US pediatricians would once again have to defend our stance that EKGs are not needed as a routine part of youth sports health screening (a/k/a the pre-participation evaluation or PPE).

A Lesson From The Bad News Bears

Last year, my daughter, then 12, played on a town softball team that had less than a stellar season on paper that is still being talked about a year later - by the girls on the team and the parents involved. This experience embodied everything good and bad about

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