Feb 11 2010
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 46 percent
of children admitted to trauma centers for winter sports injuries have
been diagnosed with a head injury – the majority of them from
snowboarding, sledding, skiing, ice skating or ice hockey. Pediatric
sports medicine is a growing field and is a direct response to how
active today’s children are in competitive and recreational sports.
As many young adults prepare to perform extreme feats in the Winter
Olympic Games, many children and teens will watch and try to imitate
these competitors on the slopes and ice. Experts from The
Children’s Hospital in Denver offer a pediatric perspective on
proper training tips as well as practical advice on how parents can
recognize symptoms of and help to prevent concussions and sports
injuries as awareness of these issues increases during the Winter
Olympic Games. The Children’s Hospital’s sports medicine experts include:
Brooke
Pengel, M.D.: medical director of the sports medicine
program at The Children’s Hospital and fellowship director for Pediatric
Sports Medicine. Specializing in concussions and orthopedics, Dr.
Pengel has been instrumental in creating a quality service line
dedicated to the comprehensive care of the school-aged athlete. During
the last few years, this program has experienced unprecedented growth in
clinical volume and staff. The sports medicine team is dedicated to
excellence in clinical care and community education and service. In
2009, Dr. Pengel was recognized as a 5280 Magazine “Top Doctor”
in sports medicine.
Frank
Chang, M.D.: director of orthopedic surgery, medical
director of the Hospital Sports Program (HSP), co-founder and co-medical
director of the Center
for Gait and Movement Analysis (CGMA) (or Gait Lab). Dr. Chang
specializes in orthopedic surgery. His interest in computerized gait
analysis started about 18 years ago, after observing how the Olympic
Freestyle Ski Team was using technology to assist in understanding
complex motions in athletes. On the weekends for the past 23 years, he
has volunteered as medical director of The Children’s Hospital’s HSP,
providing kids with guidance related to orthopedic issues, treatment,
care in the event of injuries and encouragement on the slopes.
John
Polousky, M.D.: surgical director of sports medicine at
The Children’s Hospital. Dr. Polousky is a regional expert in
pediatric orthopedic knee surgery and specializes in ACL reconstruction
in adolescents and children; cartilage injuries; and in minimally
invasive surgery of the knee, shoulder and elbow.
Each one of these experts can speak to all aspects of winter sports and
injuries including:
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More than a quarter million children each year are injured while
participating in winter sports in the United States (Safe Kids USA.
The Safe Kids Denver Metro Coalition is led by The Children’s
Hospital.)
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In 2004, more than 56,000 children ages 5 to 14 were taken to
emergency rooms for injuries resulting from winter sports, including
approximately 21,000 from snowboarding; 12,000 from sledding; 11,000
from skiing; 11,000 from ice skating; and 1,500 from snowmobile
accidents (Safe Kids USA)
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Interpreting the new concussion guidelines: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/Suppl_1/i76.full.pdf+html
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Training tips and guidelines: six weeks before the season, young
athletes should begin exercising three to five times per week, with a
program that emphasizes general fitness (a combination of appropriate
strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and body composition)
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The growing trend of treating the whole athlete (from education to
injury prevention to nutrition to timely and appropriate response)
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Nutrition: the need for basic nutrition and how/why sports supplements
are used or should not be used is very critical for youth athletes
SOURCE The Children’s Hospital