Muscles, Joints, Ligaments & Bones

Studies show that a new way of stretching (dynamic stretching) increases power, flexibility and range of motion, and may reduce injuries while the kind of stretching routine most of us have been doing since we were in grade school (holding a stretch for 20 or 30 seconds, supposedly to prepare muscles for exercise, or static stretching) not only fails to do what it is supposed to do but may actually weaken muscles and hurt athletic performance.

A new study in the journal Pediatrics finds children with flat feet do just as well in sports as those with "normal" feet, and calls into doubt the traditional treatment of flat feet with corrective insoles (e.g. orthotics).

The culture of youth sports can cloud a parent's judgment to the point that she doesn't want to hear the truth about the seriousness of an injury to their child.

Reconstructive surgery on a torn or ruptured ACL is increasingly common in sports and some may shorten or end your child's sports career.

The alarming increase in the number of younger children and adolescents suffering ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries playing sports, particularly among girls, may be the by-product of the trend towards early specialization and year-round play in a single sport.

A majority of young children wear shoes that are the wrong size, putting them at risk for developing serious foot deformities such as bunions, say Swiss researchers.

Female athletes who perform a specific exercise program called the Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) program before practices and games suffer far fewer ACL injuries than those who don't.

The best way to avoid common snowboarding and skiing injuries such as skier's thumb and wrist fractures to make sure that you¹ve learned to fall correctly and to stick to slopes that are appropriate for your skill level.