Heads Up: Recent Developments in Sports Safety

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 13:39. | comments

Three hot topics are on my mind today: wearable technology, head impact sensors, and football helmets.

Wearable technology

During the past year, I have been invited many times to participate in conversations about wearable technology for athletes. With our headquarters close to the hotbeds of technology centers of MIT and Harvard, I am often asked to sit in on meetings to provide my insight.

What I know is that this is a rapidly-developing field in which we are going to see some amazing technological advances in the next decade.

Three hot topics are on my mind today: wearable technology, head impact sensors, and football helmets.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Elaine Raakman (Justplay Founder): Abusive Youth Sports Coaches Should Not Be Cultural Norm

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:09. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

Today, we hear from Canadian youth sports reform advocate and sports mom, Elaine Raakman:

The Canadian founder and developer of Justplay, a program which monitors the behavior of coaches, spectators and players and generates reports which youth sport administrators can use to make data-driven staffing and policy decisions, says if she could change one thing about the culture of youth sport, it would be the acceptance of abuse by adults in general and coaches in particular as the cultural norm.

10 Bike-Related Recalls to Check Out Before You Hit the Road This Spring

Now that spring is here, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding consumers to check to see if their bicycles, bicycle components or accessories have been recalled before using them, which can be dangerous and cause an accident, resulting in injury or even death. If you have a recalled product, contact the firm for the remedy. Once that's taken care of, remember to properly strap on your bike helmet!

Preventing Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout: 9 Ways Parents Can Help

Overuse injuries and burnout continue to be a major problem in youth sports. Multiple injuries among some young athletes highlight the need for rest to prevent overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout in young athletes. Here are 9 ways experts say parents can help.

Brooke de Lench and MomsTEAM: Student-Athlete Sports Concussion Pioneers

At a seminar for parents at Concord-Carlisle (MA) High School in 2007, world-reknowned concussion doctor and MomsTEAM expert emeritus, Robert Cantu, MD, says MomsTEAM and Brooke de Lench were the "pioneers" in educating parents about the dangers of sports concussions back in 2000.

Playing Hurt: Are Parents And Kids To Blame?

Many sports injuries are preventable, but continue to occur because of misconceptions about sports safety, uninformed behaviors by parents, coaches, and youth athletes, and a lack of training, says a new survey from Safe Kids Worldwide. Perhaps most distressing of all was the finding that nearly half of all coaches say they have been pressured by parents or the kids themselves to allow athletes to play hurt.

Underreporting of Concussions: Is Monitoring Head Impact Exposure A Way Around The Problem?

Many sports concussion go undetected, say experts, either because athletes fail to self-report concussion symptoms, or because sideline personnel lack the necessary training and experience to identify concussed athletes. The best way to address the problem of under-reporting may be not to rely on the athletes themselves, game officials, or even sideline observers to call for a concussion assessment, but to use sophisticated helmet sensors to measure impacts to get around the problem altogether.

Guidelines On Reducing, Preventing and Treating Exertional Sickling in Athletes

With the summer sports season in full swing and preparation for fall sports participation and training around the corner, it's time to revisit the guidelines for athletes with sickle cell trait.

Emily Cohen

Who's Really Responsible for the Obesity Epidemic?

Submitted by Emily Cohen on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 04:44. | comments

I'm tired of people blaming schools, sports leagues, and any variety of other organizations and factors for the fact that their children are overweight - obese, even - couch potatoes who play video games and eat junk food. Stop blaming and start looking at yourselves, parents!

Last week, the Dallas Morning News published an article by columnist Nancy Churnin blaming high school sports and the increasingly competitive and elite sports at earlier ages for the obesity epidemic. Anyone who has read my blogs knows that I question the value of elite sports at the younger levels and have not 100% bought into the current status quo of high school sports, but pinning the obesity epidemic on schools and travel teams? Laughable.

I'm tired of people blaming schools, sports leagues, and any variety of other organizations and factors for the fact that their children are overweight - obese, even - couch potatoes who play video games and eat junk food. Stop blaming and start looking at yourselves, parents!

Youth Volleyball: Back Pain Common But Preventable

Young volleyball players are prone to lower back pain and injuries. A physical therapist lists the warning signs of a potentially serious back problem and offers tips for keeping players on the court and back-pain free.

Health & Safety