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Playing it safe: Kids and sports injuries
Getting hurt is just part of the game, but young athletes need to know warning signs10:47 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 21, 2007
For young athletes, back to school means back to sports – with its giddy triumphs, heartbreaking defeats and painful injuries.
Yes, injuries. While sports promote the exercise that is so healthy for the body, injuries are becoming a growing concern as kids pour increasing hours and dedication into pursuing excellence.
About 20 million youths in the U.S. participate in organized sports, sustaining about 3 million injuries annually. And up to 90,000 of these injuries require hospitalization, according to Care of the Young Athlete, from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. And those numbers may be low; the newest edition was printed in 2000.
Overuse is the most common reason that young pitchers injure their arms, tennis players get tennis elbow and gymnasts strain their knees. These are repetitive-stress injuries, experts say.
Rest helps. So does proper conditioning, which can help prevent many injuries before they start.
But if injuries do occur, kids should speak up at the first symptom. Coaches and parents need to bring a doctor and athletic trainer or physical therapist on board to work out a plan for healing. And everyone, including the kid eager to get back on the team, needs to resist the temptation to play before a doctor gives the OK.
Here's a look at six young athletes and how they learned to recognize, heal or minimize their injuries. We've also included tips from experts for other young athletes.
CHRISTINE APPLEGATE, 14, Plano: Gymnast
Christine started doing gymnastics six years ago when she was 8. She studies gymnastics at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Plano where gold medallist Carly Patterson trained. And she is a cheerleader at Vines High School in Plano. “I like flipping,” she says.
But now all she’s doing is rehabilitation after dislocating her left elbow and breaking two bones in her right arm during what was supposed to be a routine private lesson.
“I was totally focused on the first couple of things that I did, and then on the last one my mind just kind of blanked. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I tried stopping myself in the air.”
At first, as she recuperated from her surgery at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, she was scared she might not want to tumble again. But she saw a video that captured her fall and that helped her.
“I saw what I did wrong and that helped me.”
She also resolved to be more careful in other ways.
Handling a fall: Her coach did the right thing by not letting her move and calling 911.
Good form: She has learned the importance of a proper landing and how the wrong kind of landing can hurt her knees.
Conditioning: Even though she can’t do gymnastics now, she and her coach will start conditioning in late August so that she will be ready to resume gymnastics in October.
What she learned: “If you’re not 100 percent focused, you can fall and hurt yourself pretty badly.”
Advice for young athletes: “Don’t start trying to do things that you can’t do safely yet. You have to be confident in yourself and your coach before doing things under their supervision.”ZACH WOODEN, 13, Plano: Hockey
Zach has been playing hockey for five years. He loves its fast pace and "the feeling when I score a goal."
He's recovering from osteomyelitis, a bone infection that required IV antibiotics and surgery. His family credits Dr. Laura Scalfano, a pediatrician and adolescent-medicine specialist in Plano, for spotting the infection when they brought him in with a sudden weight loss and fever in June. She sent him to Children's Medical Center Dallas, where he spent six days and had surgery on his infected hip.
Now, he's eager to get Dr. Scalfano's OK to play. He's hoping to play on two hockey teams so he can play a collective three practices and two games a week.
Zach and his family aren't sure how he got the infection, which is very rare. More common is Zach's first hockey injury: a fractured kneecap and bruised femur that he got last year.
How it happened: A player checked him in the leg during a game, causing him to fall.
When he asked for help: The next day, when it hurt as he began to play.
What he did: Went to Dr. Scalfano, who ordered an MRI that diagnosed the problem. He's now fully recovered from that injury.
What he learned: "I stretch so I don't pull any muscles," and he wears thermal sports clothing to keep his muscles warm.
Advice for young athletes: "Keep your head up when you play, drink lots of water and see your doctor as soon as possible."
MARK HSU, 16, Richardson: Tennis
Mark has been playing tennis for four years. He likes it because "it's an independent sport, it builds up my confidence, and it's really relaxing." He made the varsity tennis team at Plano East High School as a sophomore last year and has earned enough points to be ranked a champ by the United States Tennis Association.
But as Mark became more competitive, he began to strain his elbows and ankles. After consulting with his coaches at High Point Tennis Center in Plano and Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson, he realized he could prevent a lot of problems with better conditioning and form. Coach John Lara at High Point helped him with his serve, while his coach at Canyon Creek changed his closed stance to an open one so he wouldn't turn his body too much.
How he treated his injuries: Ace bandages, ice and heat.
Helpful exercises: Shuffling to strengthen his ankle muscles, rotating his ankle and elbow.
What he learned: The importance of rest. It helped when he took a week off to rest his ankles.
Advice for young athletes: "Do more conditioning and warm-up."
RONI WITHERS, 18, Fort Worth: Basketball
Roni has been playing basketball since she was 5. The best things about basketball, she says, are "you stay in shape and you learn new things every day."
Roni had her only serious injury last year as a junior when she got a steal, went for a lay-up, and a player on the other team pushed her while she was in the air. She fell and tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her knee. It was tough when she had to sit out for six months, as her Dunbar High School team was on its way to the playoffs.
But Roni did the required rehabilitation after her surgery at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital. She returned to her team in October as the forward, and they won the state championship this year. In the fall, she'll be playing basketball for Howard Payne University in Brownwood, where she has an academic scholarship.
When she went to the doctor: Right away.
The hardest part: Sitting out as her team lost in the playoffs last year.
The best part: Healing completely and helping her team win this year.
What it took: Rehabilitation exercises and strength training.
Advice for young athletes: "It's really easy to get off track and not do your rehab exercises. The doctor will tell you what you have to do to get back to where you need to be. But you have to have the goal and do it."
EDUARDO ORTEGA, 16, Weatherford: Football
Eduardo has been playing football for five years. The defensive lineman at Weatherford High School likes the adrenaline rush of the game. "When you're on the line, you feel like there's no one else, just you and that other guy. It's pretty cool. I like to see the look on his face when he knows I'm faster than him."
Eduardo went to see the athletic trainer at his school after injuring his shoulder in a practice drill. The trainer sent him to a doctor. The doctor did an MRI and told Eduardo he needed shoulder surgery, which he had at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital.
It's possible this is a reinjury for Eduardo, who got hurt a year ago when he tackled the quarterback during a scrimmage and got pushed hard on the ground. He brushed it off as a bruise.
Now Eduardo is determined to get back as soon as rehabilitation is over, just as he got back after he finished chemotherapy two years ago for lymphoma.
"When I had cancer, they told me not to do this or that. After remission, I only had two or three months to get in shape for the season. I did. And if I can do that, I can do this."
His rehabilitation plans: "They gave me some stretches for my right shoulder. My doctor told me not to do anything, no weights. But I wish I could work out. I'm getting too skinny."
The hardest part: "You get left behind when you want to be out there with the team. You feel you're not part of the team. That makes you want to sit down and think about the good times. And you see everybody getting better and know once you get back into the game, you have to start from the bottom again."
What he learned: "Get help right away when you're hurt."
Advice for young athletes: "Listen to the coaches. Don't try to be the hero and do it all yourself. Don't try to go out there and tackle the quarterback. Let them come after you."
ASHLEY WINDHAM, 18, Irving: Softball
Ashley has played softball for seven years. As a pitcher, she especially enjoys practicing with her father, who catches for her. The star pitcher for Irving High School, she won a full scholarship to attend Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas, where she will be one of only two pitchers this fall.
She's also learned the hard way about how to deal with injuries. She injured her ankle five years ago. Her doctor told her to take six weeks off, but she only took one. "It never healed right because I never gave it the time it needed." Still, she says, "I can prevent it from hurting if I take care of it and do my exercises."
In contrast, she learned to take good care of her pitching arm. "Last year I put a lot of strain on my arm as the only pitcher on the team." But this time, she worked with Irving High School athletic trainer Steve Bunt on stretching and resistance exercises that kept her arm healthy.
What helps: "Stretch to prevent torn muscles."
What she learned: "When someone tells you to ice, it's not because they think you're inferior or weak, it's to prevent you from getting hurt. Throughout the years, I have had a lot of coaches tell me you need to sit down and ice your arm, and I would say, 'No, I'm good.' Now I wish I had done that."
Here's advice from Dr. Laura Scalfano, a board-certified pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist at Windhaven Adolescent Medicine in Plano. She is also assistant professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern.
After an injury: Ask for help if the pain or weakness does not go away within a few minutes or, following a head trauma, if you have any loss of consciousness, confusion, vomiting, headache or visual changes.
To prevent an injury: Get a pre-participation physical evaluation from your physician that assesses previous injuries as well as general health, strength, joint mobility and stability.
Avoid heat-related injuries by drinking plenty of fluids and playing when the sun and heat are not in full force.
Maintain proper conditioning. Sports injuries are more likely to occur after an athlete has been sedentary in the summer.
Learn to strengthen specific muscle groups unique to your sport in pre-season and sports-specific camps (e.g., a tennis camp may focus on strengthening the range of motion of the rotator cuff muscles).
Use properly fitting protective equipment, including helmets, protective eyewear and mouth guards. Contact the American Ophthalmologic Society and the American Dental Association for information.
Keep your coach aware of any past medical and family health history, as well as emotional issues, such as divorce or death in the family, that could affect performance and susceptibility to injury.
Remember the most common injuries are reinjuries. Do not play until your physician has determined that the injury has been fully rehabilitated.
From Dr. Luis Palacios, a sports medicine expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center:
Beware the sweaty football jersey; moist, warm clothes can be a favorite hangout for bacteria and viruses that can grow quickly and become a source of illness.
Shower and change immediately after a game or workout.
Clean any cuts or scrapes you get with an antiseptic skin cleanser to remove dust, gravel, oil or road debris. Cover the area with a topical antibiotic to prevent infection, and cover the wound with a dressing.
From Daniel Evans, a physical therapist at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano:
Self-report: Athletes should be encouraged to speak up about discomfort and get checked out by an athletic trainer, physical therapist or doctor.
RICE: This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. If a joint is swollen, rest it, put ice on it (no longer than 20 minutes), compress it by wrapping with an Ace bandage and elevate it above the heart.
Warm up those muscles: You should break a sweat in your warm up; that means your muscles are loosened up and ready for stretching.
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