Rare Form of Drowning Has Teachable Moments for All Our Kids' Safety

Submitted by Gwenn OKeeffe on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 21:47. | comments

The sad headline of the dry drowing of a 10 year old South Carolina boy this week has many parents concerned. With the warm weather here in many parts of our country and summer approaching fast, swimming will be part of many of our kids' lives very, very soon. Before you panic, let me give you some facts and tell you a few things you can do to keep your kids safe.

What To Do If Your Child Is Injured Playing Sports

Deciding whether to call the doctor or 911 after your child is injured playing sports isn't always easy. Here are some guidelines to help you determine the best type of care for your child.

Team Sports and The Overweight Child: New Study Offers Hope

A new study (the Stanford Sports to Prevent Obesity Randomized Trial or SPORT for short) offers a great model for helping obese kids enjoy team sports and lose weight.

Hearts and Heart Health: CPR Is A Community Concern

With new CPR guidelines for adults from the American Heart Association, you may be wondering if you should learn CPR. Even if you have small kids at home, the answer is YES!

Disinfecting Wipes and MRSA: What Your Athlete Needs To Know For The Locker Room

Submitted by Gwenn OKeeffe on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 15:46. | comments

We live in a society almost pathologically fearful of bacterial. Disinfecting products like sanitary wipes and hand sanitizers with antibacterial properties are hugely popular. Yet, there has always been a concern among health professionals that these products are creating more of a problem than they solve. Two new studies confirm this suspicion and go a step further to demonstrate that the products people hope are keeping us free of scary bacteria such as MRSA may actually be contributing to its spread.

Two studies released this week reinforce two important take home messages:

We live in a society almost pathologically fearful of bacterial. Disinfecting products like sanitary wipes and hand sanitizers with antibacterial properties are hugely popular. Yet, there has always been a concern among health professionals that these products are creating more of a problem than they solve. Two studies confirm this suspicion and go a step further to demonstrate that the products people hope are keeping us free of scary bacteria such as MRSA may actually be contributing to its spread.

Lessons From The Big Show: Our Kids Need A DL...Just Like The Pros!

Submitted by Gwenn OKeeffe on Tue, 06/03/2008 - 02:44. | comments

At the expense of sounding like a broken record, let me just
say this: if the pros put their guys on the DL for extended periods of time,
why don’t we do this with our kids?

Brooke de Lench

Concussion Bill of Rights # 4: An Athletic Trainer Should Be On Staff

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Sat, 05/31/2008 - 20:57. | comments

Among the things which increase the anxiety level of parents of children playing contact sports is the fact that many high school programs don't employ athletic trainers who have received training in recognizing the often subtle signs of a concussion. Only 42 percent of U.S. high schools, according to the National Athletic Trainers' Association, have access to an AT.* In some states, the number is much lower (Over three-quarters of Nebraska high schools, for instance, are without ATs).

Performance Anxiety in Youth Sports: Parents Can Help Their Child Cope

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. To think in a proactive or preventative manner is a much different mindset than thinking in a reactive mindset. It involves a different set of observation skills and a different set of implementation skills.

Stretching, Warm Ups and Cool Downs Prevent Youth Sports Injuries

While not all youth sports injuries are preventable, sport specific strength and conditioning training and adequate rest between games go a long way in preventing both serious and minor injuries. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that children and adolescents include fitness exercises during each training session to develop specific skills required for that sport. While fitness activities may be geared towards the strength, endurance and flexibility requirements of that sport, they should not exclude other components of a well-rounded general fitness program.

Team of Experts