Wow, that summer flew by. And now it is here…Fall and the start of the school season.
Families of school aged children are getting back into their school year routine, especially those with athletes of all ages. It’s the back-to-school mad rush to be sure your little student has all the right gear to start the school sports year off right.
If your child loves sports, make sure they have the right gear for this, especially if they play competitive or team sports. Injury prevention is essential, let them go out on their playing field and give it their all with the proper precautions to protect them.
One of the first safety measures you can take is to have your child get a pre-participation exam. Schools generally require Sports Physicals. As a parent, it is up to you to be sure the examiner has full information of your child’s medical history and issues, so they are properly addressed. You are not doing your child a favor by leaving something out that may stop them from participating.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 4 million medical visits are tied to youth sports injuries annually. With a reported 20 million annual school absences related to those injuries, the issue warrants your attention.
Common Sports Injuries
Overuse injuries in young athletes can be overuse of the bones, muscles, and tendons. This is roughly half of the sports injuries that middle school and high school student athletes suffer from. These can possibly be prevented by significant rest periods, and appropriate training to optimally prepare the athlete for the stresses that their sport will put on their body.
Traumatic injuries happen when there is a violent collision between the athlete with another athlete, equipment or even the ground. These injuries impact bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Movements such as collisions, cutting, landing, pivoting, and over-striding can lead to a traumatic injury.
Concussion should be a huge concern for parents whose children participate in contact sports, to the point where the CDC offers online training HEADS UP Concussion in Youth Sports for Coaches, Parents, Sports Officials and Young Athletes. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells. The effects of a concussion can be serious.
Come and speak with Dr. Savarino, a highly skilled physician with over 10 years of skilled, hands-on evaluation and appropriate diagnostic testing to determine the best overall plan of care for your injured athlete. We offer our patients a wide range of nonsurgical treatments as we believe surgery is almost never the first option and can be avoided in the great majority of cases. We work with patients of all ages and performance levels, from students involved in competitive school and club sports; to avid amateurs who participate for fun and fitness, to professionals whose livelihood depends on their physical health.
In addition to treating sports-related injuries at our Tinton Falls office, Dr. Savarino also educates area patients, coaches, and parents about injury prevention and recognition. Through this community outreach, we aim to help individuals better understand how to care for their bodies before, during and after participating in athletics.
