As sure as the sun rises and sets every day, resistance from sports parents and young athletes with return to play recommendations, especially when it comes to concussions, is something I’ve come to expect in my work as an urgent care pediatrician. This is one of the biggest uphill battles we face as pediatricians but one we can’t afford to lose without resulting in dire consequences for an athlete and a family.

For concussions, Boston Bruin’s Patrice Bergeron’s story and his cautious, step-wise slow return to play when he returned to the ice in early 2009 the exact play book we need to follow when handling concussions in athletes of ages, and is consistent with current recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics as explained in the January 2009 Pediatrics (Volume 123, Number 1 pagers114-123).

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Don’t tell this to my kids – but my favorite place to sled as a kid was a hill in the woods behind a friend’s house. And, my second favorite hill was at the high school, Senior Hill, which ended at the driveway entering the campus. Talk about violating just about every sledding rule there is! If I only knew then what I know now.

The statistics on injuries from sledding may surprise you. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that 14,000 kids ages 5-15 were treated for sledding injuries in 1997. In 2003, the CPSC reported over 90,000 total ER visits for all sledding injuries with half occurring in people under 20 years of age. Luckily, most injuries are minor – cuts, sprains and strains, but fractures, dislocations, facial injuries and serious trauma to the head and spine do occur. And, the younger a child, the more they are at risk for the more serious types of injuries. Continue Reading

We have been incredibly spoiled in New England the last few years between the Patriot’s Super Bowl run and the Red Sox finally winning the World Series. It’s no wonder kids try to emulate the sports heros they see on TV, and parents smile at the notion of that dream coming true for their child. Then we blink and realize it’s just a child’s dream. After all, we know the reality of our kids fulfilling that dream are as likely as finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Or do we? Continue Reading

Curt Schilling has one. So does Manny, Mia Hamm, Tom Brady, and college athletes. What about your young athlete? What is the mystery thing? An off season.

#1 Avoid Injuries: The Importance of an Off-season

And it is a mystery. It’s a mystery why pros have one and youth athletes don’t.  It’s a mystery why coaches and parents refuse to acknowledge the reams of data proving youth sports are out of control. And, it’s an ever bigger mystery why community based coaches, and parents, fail to heed the cries of these athletes whose bodies and minds are screaming out that enough is enough by record numbers of injury rates and emotional burnout.

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Fostering healthy eating and fitness is often a wrestling match of Olympic proportions. In one corner, our kids highly motivated but under trained in the rules of health. In the other, the tag team of activity and food which can change as fast as a chameleon from working for the health of your child to a pure health enemy.

You never know what you’ll get in the ring – exercise or video games. Cookies or carrot sticks. You, the parent, are the referee, and get to play dirty. This is one match where referee interference is not only expected but crucial for our kids to have the winning move.

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Kids today play hard. From pickup games to organized sports, children are playing more aggressively and at younger ages than previous generations. With increased participation and younger ages comes a higher risk of injury particularly to the developing brain. The scenarios for injury are endless but the concerns are always the same: is my child’s brain ok? When is it safe to return to sports? Should I call the doctor?

Most children love to play sports and there are many reasons to encourage our children to participate from overall fitness to the many benefits of learning to be part of a team. However sports can be dangerous to children due to their developing bodies and immature coordination. Children also grow at different rates and can be injured by other kids their age who are taller or heavier. This is one of the factors driving the debate over the appropriate age for children to start contact sports which many sports experts and pediatricians feel is currently too young. Continue Reading

It never fails.

In fact, not only can I count on this, so can you:

2 kids + 1 back yard trampoline = injury

The injury can be mild to major and can involved one or both kids but it WILL happen and often includes sprains, contusions, lacerations, head traumas, spinal traumas, dislocations, bumps, bruises and concussions. Safety nets don’t prevent these from happening; they just prevent your kids from getting injured on the ground.

You may think that most sound parents, including ourselves, would be swayed by the reams of data that support the dangers of trampolines and keep their kids off. But, more times than not I hear parents say “What can I do? She (or he) just loves it so much!” This is usually mentioned to me during an evaluation for an injury, by the way.  Now do you see why I’m worried?

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What is it? The inability for Seniors (typically) to focus due to a feeling that “they are done”. However, this can occur in all kids at various stages.

Symptoms:

Not applying as much effort in school work

Loosing interest in activities

Grades slipping

Lackadaisical attitude

What you should do as a parent:

• Talk to your child
• Talk to the school

The goal is to uncover from your child what is driving your child’s thinking and motivation. Your job is to be helpful and to be a good listener. The school is your best ally in helping you talk to your child and explaining the big picture.

The Cure

GRADUATION! And, staying busy and involved well before then.

However, your Senior needs to understand that some colleges and universities are not as forgiving if grades slip too much. Scholarships and awards have been revoked so it is important to keep GPAs respectable. Many schools have helped by keeping kids busy with projects and fun class activities.

See Resources for more information and tips.

Resources For Parents

What to do about Senioritis (College Board Association)

PedsNow article March 2006