Sports Medicine

What Are Growing Pains?

“Growing pains” can affect children of many different ages and are usually described as a throbbing pain or ache in the legs. The calves, front of the thighs, or knees may be most affected. These pains occur most frequently at night and often are attributed to rapid growth rates. Since there is no evidence to support these pains are caused by a child’s physical growth, physicians have concluded that growing pains are more likely caused by the physical activities that kids are often involved in during childhood.

Prevent Sports Injuries In Children

As kids are heading back to school, many will be getting involved in school sports. Safe Kids Worldwide estimates that over 38 million school aged kids are involved in sports, and among those, one in three kids will suffer from a sports-related injury. As a parent, you always want to be able to protect your children. While you cannot be on the sports field with them, there are certain measures you can take to help prevent some common injuries.

Workout Motivation

If you are not seeing the results you would like from your workout, it could be because you are unknowingly sabotaging it. There are some small changes and new habits you can adopt in order to get the results you want.

Warm Up Before Your Workout

Before you even begin to stretch you should warm up your muscles by doing some extremely light exercising like walking or using a cardiovascular machine for 5-10 minutes. Stretching a cold muscle leads to a less-effective workout and may also lead to injury.

Kids Take Longer To Recover After Multiple Concussions

A new study suggests that children who have had a concussion previously are more likely to take longer to recover than children who experience their first concussion.

Study Suggests Kids Take Longer to Recover after First Concussion

The new study (“Time Interval Between Concussions and Symptom Duration”) published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in June, is based on research completed after watching 280 children and young adults between the ages of 11 and 22 who had been previously been treated for a concussion. The study factored in the time between the concussions and noted the effect that each concussion had on the patient. Children that experienced a second concussion within one year of their first concussion exhibited a recovery period that was three times longer than children and young adults that experienced their concussions more than one year apart.

Women More At Risk For ACL Injuries

ACL Injuries In Women

Women and girls are more likely to suffer from torn ACLs than their male counterparts, according to new research. An ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injury involves a tear in the ligament that stabilizes the knee and joins the upper and lower leg bones. An ACL injury requires surgery to correct and can be caused by a variety of activities (typically when the knee is twisted, bent backwards, or bent in an unnatural way).

How To Avoid Tennis Elbow

As summer heats up, tennis season is bringing more people to the court. While tennis is a great sport and can be a lot of fun, there are certain tennis-related injuries that are common among athletes. Learning about common injuries and conditions that happen during tennis can help you understand how to prevent them and how to treat them if you begin to experience symptoms.

Exercise Strengthens Kids Bones

Kids’ Exercise May Protect from Bone Breaks Later in Life

New research from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine suggests children that participate in regular exercise have been shown to develop stronger bones and are less likely to fracture their bones later in life. In addition to promoting a healthy sense of team spirit and competition, physical activity is also important to help children maintain optimal health and reduce their risk of broken bones.

The Skane University Study

The six year study conducted at Skane University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden revealed that children who participated in at least 40 minutes of physical activity each day before, during, or after school were half as likely to report a broken bone than children who got just 60 minutes of exercise per week. The study was conducted on 446 boys and 362 girls, and the findings suggested a link between regular daily exercise, higher bone density, and reduced risk of fractures.

Diagnosing and Treating Concussions

New Research in Concussions Leads to Revised Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment

In March, the American Academy of Neurology updated its guidelines for managing concussions. The new guidelines now emphasize treating each concussion and each patient on a case-by-case basis. This is a departure from the idea of operating under a pre-defined scale to assess the severity of the concussion. The traditional technique which uses a grading scale to determine the intensity and severity of the concussion has been replaced with guidelines that favor removing athletes from play until they can be properly evaluated by a healthcare professional.