West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation Director, Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Young athletes are either still growing or have only recently reached skeletal maturation. On average, females obtain their full height at age fourteen, and males at age sixteen. However, there is a wide range of skeletal maturation rates, and variations of a year or two…
Online Winter Charity Auction! December 14th at 9AM – December 28th at 12PM With the ongoing health crisis, our work continues and we rely on the generous support of donors like yourself to serve and uplift our community. It is an especially tough time for our Team to Win schools, with our athletic trainers displaced…
Football steps into high gear: The Super Bowl is upon us. Millions of fans watch the last game on television, excited to see their stars score and find the way to glory. Every little boy in America dreams to be the next big NFL star. And as parents we want to support that dream, but…
ACL tears in young children are on the rise. While reconstructive surgery is usually used in adults, non-operative treatment is recommended for children, at least initially. While a child is still growing, their joints are very different than a fully-grown adult. They are different anatomically and physiologically in many ways. Children knee injuries including Anterior…
If you get nothing else out of this blog, I want you to know that kids’ sports injuries can be prevented in the majority of cases. Some sports injuries can even be predicted. Because more kids are participating year-around in multiple sports or specialized and participating in elite travel teams, the opportunity for injury has…
Trampoline Injuries: The hidden danger in our backyards Trampolines are simply danger waiting to happen. That’s why owners are, in some states, required to keep trampolines behind locked gates. Nearly 80,000 children ages fourteen and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for trampoline-related injuries in 2008. Instruction is needed to jump safely along with spotters…
The Biggest Risks for Kids Playing Sports Let’s just look at the reality of the world of sports for kids. This is what we know: · Children have less coordination, slower reaction times, immature muscularity, immature nervous systems, less motor skill, and are not as accurate as adults. By this I mean, children do not…