Keep young athletes in the game
As summer winds down, fall sports start kicking off, and many children are eager to get involved. While sports offer benefits from physical fitness and coordination to learning the value of teamwork, they can also result in injuries. Each year more than 3.5 million youngsters under the age of 15 suffer injuries requiring medical attention. Nearly a half million of these injuries send kids to the emergency room. Here's how to keep children active and safe.
Organized sports
Children are more susceptible to injuries than adults because their skeletal and muscular systems are still growing. Two types of injuries plague young athletes: overuse injuries, such as "Little League Elbow," and acute injuries resulting from sudden trauma. The latter are often caused by contact sports like football and can result in serious injuries to the head, neck, and spinal column.
To prevent injuries, children need protective equipment. For example, football players require properly fitted helmets, face masks, mouth guards, padding, and appropriate footwear. All coaches should show kids how to fall on their sides or buttocks, and football coaches need to teach correct techniques for safely tackling opponents.
Cold muscles are more prone to injury, so warming up with jumping jacks or jogging, followed by slow stretching, is important. Adults should make sure young athletes are well hydrated and take frequent breaks, especially in the heat of late summer and early autumn.
Youth soccer appeals to many children and their parents. The rules are simple, it's relatively safe, and everyone can get in the game. While it's safer than many sports, more than 144,000 children between the ages of 5 and 19 sustained soccer-related injuries in 2000. Common injuries included strains/sprains (37 percent), fractures (23 percent), and contusions (21 percent).
Because of potentially serious consequences, children under 12 probably should not "head" the ball, some experts advise. Protective equipment includes shin guards, and mouth guards to protect teeth are a good idea. To prevent eye injuries, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends protective eyewear.
Individual sports
Riding bicycles causes more injuries to youngsters than any other activity. While most of these are scrapes and bruises, fractures of the wrist and arm also occur. Since most accidents result from rider error, make sure your children understand how to cycle safely and that they always wear helmets. Local police and recreation departments offer bike safety courses, and some even provide free helmets.
Roller sports (skateboards, inline and roller skates, scooters) account for nearly 300,000 childhood injuries every year, with wrist and arm fractures common. Make sure children wear protective helmets, wrist guards, and elbow and knee pads. Supervise younger ones, and remind older kids to ride away from traffic. Those who engage in tricks should ride in a skate park with adult supervision.
Youth sports should be fun, and scrapes and bruises are, after all, part of growing up. But adults can help keep young athletes safe by teaching the rules of a game and stressing healthy competition and teamwork.
For Minor Injuries
Remember "RICE"-rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Never let a child "play through the pain." Sudden injuries that prevent a youngster from continuing to play need medical attention; prompt treatment can keep injuries from worsening or becoming chronic.
Natural Healing
For bruises, sore muscles, and sprains, the standard homeopathic remedy is arnica, used topically if the skin is not broken. For cuts, scrapes, and other injuries where the skin is broken, consider calendula cream to promote healing and soothe discomfort. Tea tree oil is an herbal remedy known for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Use a commercial brand, or mix 1 drop of tea tree oil with 1 teaspoon of carrier oil (olive oil, wheat germ, sweet almond) and apply to the injury twice a day.
Selected Sources
"A Guide to Safety for Young Athletes," 2/02; "Recreational Activities and Childhood Injuries," 6/04, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, http://orthoinfo.aaos.org; "Childhood Soccer Injuries Treated in U.S. Emergency Departments" by Annette L. Adams, MA, et al., Academic Emergency Medicine, 3/28/06; "Fall Sports Send 480,000 Kids to Emergency Rooms," Safe Kids USA, www.usa.safekids.org; Natural Baby and Childcare by Lauren Feder, MD ($17.95, Healthy Living Books, 2006); Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child by Janet A. Zand, ND, LAc; Robert Rountree, MD; and Rachel Walton, RN ($22.95, Avery/Penguin Putnam, 2003)
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