Representatives from Orthopaedic Institute for Children (OIC) will offer expertise about sports injury avoidance and awareness during two upcoming youth baseball camps at Dodger Stadium.
These 4-day-long camps are sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and offer boys and girls ages 7 to 12 daily instruction by members of the Dodgers major league coaching staff and Dodger alumni with special guest appearances by current Dodger players.
OIC Nurse Practitioner Kathryn Williams will be sharing her expertise at the Dodger camp June 25, talking with the young athletes about the warning signs of these injuries, how to minimize the risk, and what to do should an injury occur. OIC will participate in a second Dodger camp July 31, notes a media release from OIC.
“Injuries in young athletes are on the rise, especially here in Southern California where the weather makes it possible to play year-round; so overuse of a certain muscle group is not uncommon,” says Jennifer Beck, MD, associate director of the Center for Sports Medicine at OIC, in the release.
“We want children to have fun, but it is also important to be aware of common baseball injuries and to be smart should an injury occur.”
The most common baseball injuries for hitters and fielders include muscle strain, meniscus tears and hand/wrist injuries. Pitchers are most often afflicted by elbow tendinitis, rotator cuff injury, and labral tears.
The incidence of sports-related concussions is also rising, per the release.
“Since most concussions happen without being actually knocked out, it is important that athletes, coaches, and parents know the warning signs, which include headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, changes in vision, and numbness or tingling in the arms or legs,” Beck adds.
“When any of these symptoms occur, the athlete should immediately be pulled from play, carefully assessed, and then seek medical evaluation before returning to the field.”
[Source(s): Orthopaedic Institute for Children, Business Wire]
