How To Manage A Head Injury

Contact sports can be fun and rewarding.  But, if your child participates in a contact sport, he or she does run the risk of suffering a mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion. In fact, 20 percent of all high school football players suffer brain injuries each season!

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What is the best way to slide in baseball and softball?

Baseball and softball are two of the most popular sports in America and in the world. While baseball is known as “America’s national pastime,” softball is actually the top recreational sport in this country (with over 40 million participants yearly). Although both are considered non-contact sports, there is one physically jarring aspect of the game that accounts for a significant number of injuries: sliding into a base.

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Back Care for the Athlete

Tips to save your back while weight lifting:

What are the most common factors that lead to a back injury? 

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Strains and Sprains

Injuries will happen...there is no escaping it.

Injuries will cause pain...there is no escaping it

Injuries will lead to debility...there is no escaping it.

But what should one do, when injured?

 

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Overuse Injuries, the #1 Culprit in Injury

Not unlike their adult counterparts, injuries in kids are of many varieties and degrees.
While many are due to direct blows, such as falling from a bicycle and others are due to indirect causes such as a knee-twisting injury while running on a soccer field, the most common one I see today is due to overuse.

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My Aching Shoulder

Similar to elbow injuries, the most common mechanism of injury to the shoulder is overuse. Specifically, it is most often injured when the upper limb ranges excessively in an “over the head” motion. 

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What is Causing that Hip Pain?

Identifying the etiology for hip pain in a child can be tricky. The reason, hip pathology often presents as knee pain.

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What is a Stress Fracture?

A significant extreme of an overuse injury is a stress fracture. This too is a normal reaction to an abnormal stress placed upon a bone. While it is classified as a fracture, it is not the typical, broken bone fracture many of us envision. Rather, it is a fracture of a portion of a bone and there is no displacement of the bone. 

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Elbow Injuries

Injuries of the elbow are not rare in throwing sports. In particular, injuries to the inner aspect (the side that your pinky finger is on) of the elbow are rather common in young throwers.

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Back and Neck Pain  

While back pain will likely afflict all of us at some time during our lives, it is not as universal in the younger population. Fortunately, most low back and neck pain that kids complain about is muscular and likely to resolve in one to two weeks. 

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Oh My Aching Knee

In youth sports, the incidence and prevalence of knee injuries continues to rise. In fact, in parallel to adults, knee pain may soon become the #1 reason young patients visit my office

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My Sprained Ankle

Still the #1 injury in kids, ankle sprains commonly occur during sports. The ankle “twists,” (usually inward) and the bottom of the foot faces the other ankle. Pain occurs rather immediately

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Strains and Sprains

Injuries will happen...there is no escaping it.
Injuries will cause pain...there is no escaping it
Injuries will lead to debility...there is no escaping it

But what should one do, when injured?

Luckily, more than 80% of all injuries we sustain are self remitting. They will heal in due time. The most common injuries, sprains (damage to a ligament) and strains (damage to a muscle and/or tendon) commonly occur when playing sports and recreational activities. There may be pain, mild swelling, and discoloration of the skin. A "typical" sprain or strain will require at least three, and more likely six, weeks to properly heal. A general guideline, if one is able to walk on the sprained or strained area, the injury likely is not too serious. But remember, this is a guideline.
Many people possess a very high pain tolerance and may not be aware of "significant" pain. The discoloration one sees after sustaining a sprain or strain is due to bleeding within the ligament and/or associated muscle. This discoloration will initially resemble the Black and Blue we are familiar with. However, this is followed over several days by a change in coloration...ultimately becoming brown/yellow. This represents "old" blood and usually coincides with healing. And don't be surprised if you see this discoloration in a remote area, distant from the injured area. This is due to the effects of gravity.
For instance, it is not uncommon for one to see drown/yellow discoloration in the foot a few days after sustaining a sprain to the knee.
Treatment for a sprain or strain is similar. One area of confusion is whether ice or heat is the choice for treating acute (new) sprains and/or strains. For an acute sprain or strain, ice is recommended. Heat is the choice a few days after the injury occurs.
An easy way to remember the sequence for treatment after an injury is to remember the word RICE. Or, more accurately, R.I.C.E.



R
I
C
E

stands for Rest
stands for Ice
stands for Compression
stands for Elevation

Rest is maintained only until one can mobilize and get going.

Ice should be applied (through a barrier such as a towel) in five minute increments. Five minutes on and five minutes off of the injured area. This can be done three to four times/day for a total of 45 minutes on the skin/day.

Compression helps reduce swelling and is used for the first few days after an injury. The compressive wrap should not be applied too tightly. This may damage nerves under the skin and/or compromise blood flow. It is advisable to consult with a medical expert before applying a compressive wrap.

Elevation helps reduce swelling too. It is best to elevate the injured area above the level of the heart. This allows all the accumulated fluid (from swelling) to drain toward the heart, which is the goal. 

Once feeling better, having minimal discomfort, good "pain-free" motion of the injured area, and little to no swelling...you can begin to return to "normal" weight-bearing activities. If the injured area is not improving several days after the injury, if pain limits ambulation, if there is loss of strength or sensation in or distal to the injured area, then you SHOULD contact a physician. Be careful taking over the counter anti-inflammatory medications...While they may seem be innocuous because they are sold without a prescription, they should not be taken if you have sensitivities to such products, and if you are not sure if such is the case, consult with your physician first.
 
   
 

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