Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - 18

committee of the American
Academy of Pediatrics Council on
Sports Medicine and Fitness. "And
I think, unfortunately, injuries get
highlighted, and that makes people not want to let their kids play.
For the overwhelming majority of
kids, the benefits of sports far outweigh the risks of injury."
So how do we keep our young
athletes safe? And what do we do
if they are injured?

Change Will Do
Them Good

You've done all you can to prevent
an injury, but your child still ends
up hobbling to the sidelines. Help
make recovery easier by following
a few crucial guidelines.
Seek medical care for the injury.
"Depending on the urgency of
it, that may require going to an
emergency department, going to
an urgent care center or making
an appointment with your pediatrician," says Cynthia LaBella,
past chair of the executive committee of the American Academy
of Pediatrics Council on Sports
Medicine and Fitness. Healthcare
providers will determine whether
the injury requires more specialized care from an orthopedic doctor or a sports medicine specialist.
Follow the treatment plan to
the letter. Once a doctor has diagnosed the injury, don't allow your
child to return to practice or games
until the injury is healed.
Get instructions for what's next.
"Ask your physician what to do
after the injury heals," LaBella says.
"Find out how your child should
go back to the game. Is there a
gradual progression for a safe
return? Can the doctor offer any
tips to keep your child from getting reinjured?"

Recognize
the Signs of
Concussion

The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention developed a free
smartphone app to help parents
recognize the signs of concussion
and understand what to do if a
child gets a concussion. Learn
more and download it at cdc.gov/
headsup/resources/app.html.

she says, it's far more beneficial for
the child in the long term to take a
break from the sport for a season
to focus on something else.

Rest for Success

Adequate rest time is as important
as variety, although rest can be
tough to accomplish if a child plays
on multiple teams or on highly
competitive teams, LaBella says.
"We see a lot of times where
overuse injuries could be prevented
by making sure kids get enough
breaks throughout the week and
year from their sport, so they have
time for rest and recovery," she

PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

Step one is to make sure youth athletes are not overdoing it with one
sport, says Elizabeth Matzkin, MD,
a youth sports injuries specialist
who serves on the board of directors for the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons.
"Overuse injuries are probably
the biggest thing we're seeing right
now, and it's important to recognize that the majority of overuse
injuries are preventable," Matzkin
explains. "We are seeing overuse
injuries occurring in younger and
younger athletes, and that happens especially as they become
one-sport athletes, focused on just
one sport year-round."
Kids' growing bodies need
variety, Matzkin says. Doing the
same activity intensely every day
can lead to serious problems for
a child's developing joints, ligaments, muscles and bones.
"We really encourage kids to
play multiple sports and not focus
all their time year-round on one
sport," she says.
That can be difficult,
she recognizes.
"It's hard to pull your kid out of
winter soccer, because there's this
fear of doing them a disservice-
what if they fall behind and they
don't make the team next year?"
she says. In this soccer example,

How to
Recover from a
Sports Injury

SUMMER 2020 VIM & VIGOR

FdVSU20_16-19_NewsResearchInjuries.indd 18

2/18/20 9:39 AM

https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/resources/app.html https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/resources/app.html

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA