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Off the Couch: Get Out There and Play Those Sports - Safely
By: Laura Weidenfeld, M.D.

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Time to get out into the spring-time sun and start playing sports. As parents, it’s our job to encourage healthy habits, including exercise, for our youngsters. What better time to start than now, before the summer heat sets in.

Watching TV and surfing the Net don’t create healthy bodies – running, jumping and playing do. And whoever says these are any less fun hasn’t spent much time around a 6 year-old lately. Physical activity should be a routine part of a child’s life. Sports are not only fun but promote health in countless ways. Perhaps most importantly, sports improve cardiovascular endurance, which not only makes your child feel better, but protects the young athlete against future heart disease, too. Make certain your child exercises for at least 20-30 continuous minutes a minimum of three times a week. Each exercise session should be preceded by a gradual warm-up, and followed by a slow cool down. This prevents injuries. Sports participation also can increase flexibility and improve large muscle strength. These benefits will in turn protect against future injuries. Stronger muscles provide better support for joints and more flexibility makes strains (injuries to muscles or tendons) and sprains (injuries to ligaments) less likely.

Weight control is another benefit to staying fit. Approximately 12 percent of children in the pre-puberty years are overweight and spend far too much time on the couch or at the computer desk. Exercise burns calories, increases metabolism and decreases appetite.

There are other, less tangible benefits of organized sports participation. Children who are involved can develop leadership skills, boost self-confidence and learn the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork. In addition, these youngsters often come to find exercise more and more enjoyable and are more likely to establish lifelong habits that include exercise on a regular basis.

Before your child begins a sports program, discuss his or her goals as well as your own. While participation can be a wonderful experience, if a child is mismatched to a particular sport or pushed too hard to achieve, he or she may become frustrated and stressed. If the objective focuses only on victory, the entire activity may become counterproductive.

Along with all the joys of playing sports comes the obvious chance of injury. You can decrease this risk with a reasonable assessment of your child’s physical maturity level. Children grow at different rates; height, weight and maturity levels are much more important than chronological age when it comes to sports. It is recommended that children under 8 should only participate in non-contact sports. After this age, contact sports are acceptable. However, collision sports such as football and ice hockey should not be started until after age 10. Of note, regardless of size and maturity, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the use of free weights by children under 12 years old. You may, however, encourage your child to explore other methods of strengthening his or her muscles. There’s nothing wrong with old-fashioned push-ups, sit-ups, jump-rope and sprints.

Despite the best preventative intentions and equipment, injuries will occur. For the middle years, sports injuries are predominately fractures, bruises, or problems caused by “overuse syndromes” – that is, pains and problems spurring, simply, from overdoing it. Younger children have growth plates in their bones that are weaker than ligaments. Some of the most common overuse syndromes involve the shoulder and elbow, and result from activities such as throwing or swimming. The knee also is frequently affected by running. These injuries typically cause pain related to activity and are relieved by rest. Certain problems are related to certain sports. One of the most severe occurs in baseball pitchers when the child experiences a fatigue separation or fracture through the growth plate of the elbow. This often results in severe limitation of arm movement.

Overuse injuries can be prevented by advising your child to stop exercising at the first sign of discomfort. Once an injury does occur, it needs to be properly evaluated and treated.

What you can do prior to seeing your pediatrician is apply what is known as “RICE” therapy. “R” stands for rest. “I” refers to icing the injury. Never apply ice for more than 20 minutes at a time, or more often than every two hours. “C” stands for compression, as in Ace bandage wrap. Remember, never wrap so tight that circulation is decreased. Finally, “E” refers to elevation of the affected area to reduce swelling.

Specific injuries, when improperly treated or incompletely healed, can cause lifelong problems. Rest is the most-often recommended therapy. Unfortunately, it is also the most difficult for youngsters to follow. Children in their middle years are usually unable to contemplate the future seriously, so parents need to ensure that medical recommendations are followed.

Remember, sports are for fun. Let your kids enjoy themselves, but keep it safe. Nothing ends the good times faster than preventable injury.

Laura Weidenfeld, M.D.
Sunshine Valley Pediatrics in Summerlin