Playing ball Playing ball (March 11, 2005)

Tips from a pediatric sports doctor

By Kenneth Vereschagin

Q: My children love to play sports but I worry about them getting seriously injured. How can I protect them? A: Most sports injuries in kids are relatively minor and quick-healing. Remember the word R-I-C-E (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), and you won't go too far wrong. Overuse syndromes, while much more complex, generally respond well to rest from the offending activity.

To prevent serious injuries, follow these guidelines: Get a physical before the season begins. Get in shape, stay strong and flexible. Know and abide by the rules of the game. Always wear appropriate protective gear. Warm up before and cool down after practices and games.

If you get too tired or if you're in pain, stop playing. Stay hydrated by drinking water before exercising. Enroll your child in organized sports where there are adults present and trained in the prevention, recognition and immediate care of athletic injuries.
Q: I'm concerned that my child is getting overweight. What's a good way to introduce him to athletics? A: Due to increasing rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, there is no time like the present to invest in the health and physical fitness of our future generations.

Here in Mountain View, there are currently more than 1,000 youth basketball players at YMCA; two hugely popular baseball leagues are getting underway, as are softball, swimming, soccer, tennis and many other organized youth sports programs.

While the uniforms, team banners and trophies make it more fun for the kids and parents, the most important thing is establishing a lifetime habit of regular exercise. Q: My 6-year-old daughter fell down, and her doctor said she might have a growth-plate fracture. Is that serious? A: Yes, due to the potential of long-term complications, these injuries should be taken seriously.

The growth plate (or "physis") of a long bone is where specialized cartilage contributes to the growth of the bone, ultimately determining its future length and shape.

The growth plates are the weakest part of a child's growing skeleton. Significant trauma or a repetitive motion injury (like baseball pitching) can damage a growth plate. An injury that would cause a sprain or tendonitis in an adult can cause a growth plate injury in a child.

Q: What sports are safest for young athletes? A: Sports are generally classified by the degree of contact, so higher rates of acute injuries are seen in high-contact sports such as football, hockey and wrestling than in non-contact sports such as swimming and tennis.

In general, the saying "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" holds true, as my sports medicine research involving neck injuries in football players has shown. So make sure players are matched by size and maturity level, not just by age, in contact and collision sports.

Overuse injuries such as sore shoulders in swimmers and throwers and knee pain in runners and jumpers are a common problem in sports where repetitive motion is key. In this situation, parents and coaches should be careful not to push their young athletes across the overuse-pain threshold.

But the risk of non-activity carries a worse prognosis in terms of contracting diseases than the small risk associated with potential injury from an active lifestyle. Parents should find a way to nurture a lifetime emphasis on regular fitness for their children, promoting physical activity such as walking, biking or hiking.
Kenneth Vereschagin is a pediatric sports medicine specialist at Camino Medical Group's Santa Clara clinic. Have a medical question? E-mail it to Cynthia Greaves at greavec@caminomedical.org

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