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Overuse Injuries in Youth Sports Result of Competitive Culture

Overuse injuries have become commonplace among young athletes in the last decade (although "Little League elbow" has been a problem for decades). They are not the kind suffered by children and adolescents engaging in free play or "pick up" games, but are clearly a product of the organized youth sports boom. The damage to hard and soft tissues resulting from undetected, unreported and often untreated overuse injuries can be permanent and lead to problems later in life, such as arthritis.

Sports Creams Can Be Dangerous

Most sports creams contain methyl salicylate, a toxic chemical which, absorbed in large enough amounts through the skin, can result in serious injury or, even in rare cases, in death from poisoning.

The Politics of Youth Sports Injury Prevention

The politics of prevention and the barriers to preventive efforts - whether it is in sports medicine, heart disease, cancer, or terrorism - are similar. Over the past seventeen years, I have found that the single greatest barrier to preventive efforts is the fact that we are taught throughout our educational system to be reactive rather than being proactive.

Preventing Injuries In Winter Sports

According to recent estimates, over 82,000 people will seek medical treatment this coming year for injuries suffered while skiing, 62,000 will be injured playing hockey, 37,000 snowboarding, and 25,000 while sledding. Over 270,000 Americans are expected to visit hospital emergency rooms after suffering winter sports-related injuries this year. Most are preventable.

Back To School Safety Prevention Tips

When kids return to school, it is imperative that we get our families' house in order as it relates to recreational and organized sports activities. Over 12 million student athletes between ages 5 and 22 will sustain a sports-related injury this year. Students will lose twenty million school days as a result of an injury related either to sports or recreational activities.

Reducing Heat Illness Risk in Youth Football

Youth football coaches should adopt practice modifications and employ a strategy to acclimatize players to perform in the heat, along with a fluid replacement strategy in anticipation of young players who begin practice already dehydrated, according to new recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the world leader in the scientific and medical aspects of sports and exercise. The guidelines are outcomes from a recent expert panel convened for an ACSM scientific roundtable on youth football and heat stress.

Flexibility In Soccer Helps

An youth athlete's natural flexibility varies by age. Those with poor muscle flexibility experience more soreness, tenderness and pain after exercise. The less flexible the muscle, the more easily it is injured.   Here are simple tests to test flexibility of major muscles and tendons prone to injury in soccer.

Grocery and Convenience Stores: A Better Nutritional Bet At All-Day Events or Tournaments

At all day events or tournaments, stopping at a grocery or convenience store is usually a better bet than the concession stand, which typically offers foods that are high in fat, (e.g. nacho chips, cheese fries, and hot dogs) and are expensive. Many supermarkets have a soup and salad bar with a variety of healthy foods. With guidance from parents and coaches, young athletes can find healthy, high carbohydrate, low fat foods in every aisle of the store.

Customized Training Program Can Reduce Risk Of Injury to Elite Youth Athletes

Dr. Sonia Bell, MD,Physiatrist and former San Francisco Ballet dancer, talks about designing customized training programs to acclimate athletes to the hazards of their particular sport to reduce the risk of overuse injury.

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