Health & Safety

New research suggests that more intense training and inadequate diet are placing high school athletes at significant risk for developing stress fractures in the bones of the back, hip, leg and foot, with girls more likely to suffer such overuse injury and at an earlier age than boys.

Energy drinks may pose a risk for serious adverse health effects in some children, especially those with diabetes, seizures, cardiac abnormalities or mood and behavior disorders, says a new study in the March 2011 issue of Pediatrics. Reviewing data gleaned from a meta-search of the medical literature via PubMed (an online data base of medical journals) and print and trade media via Google, researchers at the University of Miami conclude that energy drinks have no therapeutic benefit to children, and both the known and unknown properties of the ingredients, combined with reports of toxicity, may put some children at risk for adverse health events.

Attention hockey moms and dads: the air you and your children are breathing at the rink may be hazardous to your health. The culprit:  gas-, diesel- and propane-powered ice resurfacing machines which spew out a toxic stew of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter, all which can result in potentially serious short- and long-term health problems.

A test for disturbed eye movements has the potential to provide rapid and accurate sideline screening for concussion on the sports sideline, says a new study in the journal Neurology. The King-Devick (K-D) test measuring the speed of rapid number naming is an accurate and reliable method for identifying athletes who should be removed from a game or practice for further evaluation, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found.

The conclusion that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is caused by concussions and repetitive subconcussive brain trauma is scientifically premature, say an increasing number of researchers.

Concussion in high school sports are increasing at a 15% annual rate, finds a new study. Consistent with previous studies, football accounted for more than half of all concussions and a concussion rate nearly double the rate for girls' soccer, the sport with the next highest rate. Concussion rates increased across all 12 sports studied.  Although the degree of change varied, ranging from an average annual increase of 8% for football to 27% for wrestling, Girls had a higher rate of concussion that that of boys in those sports (soccer, basketball, baseball/softball) where the boys' and girls' games are essentially the same.

According to a 2010 study, U.S. youth ages eight to 18 spend an average of seven hours, 38 minutes each day using entertainment media such as a television and computer.  A new Australian study finds that parents who can get their child to follow a physical activity skill development program and modify their diet can reduce their overweight child's screen time by nearly one hour per day.

 

 

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Spending time outdoors is fun, even in the cold of winter. But, just as in warmer weather, special precautions need to be taken when exercising in cold weather to avoid dehydration, hypothermia, and frostbite. Here are some things to consider if you or your children are playing sports in the cold.

As any parent of a competitive age-group swimmer knows, an indoor pool tends to be a very hot and humid place even at the best of times. Pack in all the competitors and spectators at a day-long meet and the temperatures soar, with athletes in or around the pool losing fluids at a high rate.  Practices for competitive swimmers also tend to last a long time, during which athletes not only burn a lot of calories but lose a lot of water and electrolytes.