Everything Related to Orthopedics
Preventative Medicine
Avoid the Hospital This Summer
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Summer is a time when you want to spend all of your time outside by pool, grilling, on the beach and doing all the other fun “summer” things. What you don’t want to spend time doing is taking your kids to the hospital because of an injury. With all of the outdoor, physical activities that go on during the summer months, pediatric injuries increase dramatically.
One of the most common injuries during the summer comes from falls. Whether kids are jumping on a trampoline or playing on the playground, hospitals see a lot of kids come in with broken bones and deep cuts from falling. To avoid a trip to the hospital, make sure there is supervision while kids are on a trampoline or playground. Also, try to find a playground that has mulch or rubber tire instead of just blacktop. This can go a long way in avoiding serious injury from a fall.
Another frequent cause of injury for kids comes from riding their bicycle. During summer vacation kids tend to spend a lot of time outside on their bikes. While this is a great form of exercise, it is important to take some safety precautions to avoid serious injury. Most injuries from bicycles are to the arms and legs but the most serious are to the head. When your kids take their bikes out make sure they always wear a helmet. Also be sure that your kids know the proper hand signals and always walk their bikes across busy streets or intersections.
While the weather is hot, a lot of people will spend time by the pool or at the beach. Near-drownings become a serious problem during the summer. Many people may not realize that a person can drown in mere inches of water. To avoid injury, or even worse – death, it is important that parents always supervise their kids while they are in the water. A strong recommendation that could possibly save a child’s life is for all parents to become CPR certified. Also, be sure that children wear proper flotation devices while enjoying the water. A few steps in safety can go a long way in making sure you have a fun, injury free summer!
Common Baseball Injuries
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Spring is in the air and that doesn’t just mean warmer weather and more sunshine – it means baseball season is in full swing! Not only are the pros hitting the field once again, soon all the summer little league teams will start up keeping kids busy during their time off from school. In order to keep the baseball season all fun and games, let’s take a look at some common baseball injuries and how to both treat and prevent them.
The most common baseball injuries occur over time, from overuse and over stress of muscles and joints. There is a possibility of a traumatic injury in baseball as well, some of which can be quite serious. Possibly the most common injuries in baseball occur to the shoulder and elbow since this is a sport played mostly with the upper body. Throwing and hitting a baseball over a long period of time can cause shoulder tendonitis, torn rotator cuff and tennis elbow.
Other common injuries in baseball are to the ligaments, especially in the knees. Sports that require quick changes in direction with lots of stopping and starting can be tough on the knees. One wrong move or landing can result in a torn ACL, MCL or PCL. Besides tearing these ligaments, baseball players also often find themselves with knee tendonitis from the constant stress on the joint.
Most of these injuries can be treated without surgery and will simply require physical therapy to heal and strengthen the muscles. In severe cases of torn ligaments, surgery may be necessary to repair the injured ligament. These injuries can also be prevented if you take the proper steps before hitting the field. Make sure you warm up properly before the game doing both cardio and stretches. Stay hydrated while you play and if you should suffer an injury, get proper treatment right away to prevent the injury from getting any worse.
