ACEing Autism – Connecting Kids Through Tennis In Redding The program will be held at the Parsons Middle School tennis courts:...
Participation in sports activities can be wonderful for a child’s physical and emotional health. But where’s the line on your child’s exercise routine, and how much is too much?
The answer lies in each individual child. What might be too much for one child may be completely healthy for another. It’s important to know what your child can handle, and also to take steps to prevent exhaustion, injuries, mental “burn out,” and eating disorders.
While the risk of injury varies from sport to sport, the most common cause of injury, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is overuse:
While back pain in adults is relatively common, children are more flexible and their bodies are more resilient, thus making back pain among that population less common. Because chronic or severe back pain can often be caused by a more serious medical problem, medical providers are more likely to treat such issues very seriously.
We've all heard a lot more about concussions or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in recent years. Medical practitioners now better understand how devastating and debilitating multiple concussions can be as they can affect the way a brain functions.
As of 2012 all major professional sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have policies and procedures for handling concussions. If your child is part of any organized sport team or group, be sure to ask to see their policies on how to handle concussions.
Not all concussions are caused by organized sports; they are often caused by a fall, a car or bike accident or severe jarring to the body. A child with a concussion may be knocked unconscious, but most are not. Symptoms of a concussion may develop 24 to 72 hours after an injury. If your child shows any of these signs, take him to his doctor right away.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
It is very common for toddlers to exhibit signs of bowed legs when they are very young. Children with bowed legs will usually have a distinct gap between the knees and the lower legs when they stand with their feet together. Bowed legs can affect one or both legs, and parents or the child’s pediatrician may notice that the legs are beginning to curve outward within the first few years of life.
Knowing the indicators that you should watch for to identify a problem is crucial.[/caption]
Children that play little league baseball are susceptible to orthopedic injuries in the elbow and shoulder. Throwing a baseball can put enormous strain and stress on the throwing arm, and in developing children and young adults, excessive stress can result in lasting injuries if left untreated.
In adults, the tendons and ligaments absorb the stress, but children and young adults will absorb the impact on the weakest part of the bone – the cartilage near the growth plate. The intensity and frequency of throwing a ball is directly related to how often these injuries occur, which is why pitchers are at the highest risk of a little league shoulder or elbow injury. Diagnosing these injuries promptly is the first step to proper treatment.