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Asthma and Exercise (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
common_illnesses_and_conditions
Almost every child (and adult) with asthma can
benefit from sports and physical activity. Also, asthma should not prevent young
athletes from enjoying a full athletic career. The following is information from
the American Academy of Pediatrics
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Ballet and Dance (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Dance is an artistic, athletic, expressive, and
social form of physical activity that appeals to a wide variety of individuals.
The physical aspects of dance can be both a valuable source of exercise as well
as a cause of injury. For young people
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Baseball and Softball (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Baseball and softball are extremely popular
among America's youth. Injuries are common because of the large number of
athletes participating. While most injuries are acute, there are specific
overuse injuries that commonly affect young ball
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Basketball and Volleyball (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Acute and overuse injuries are common in jumping
sports like basketball and volleyball. Acute injuries include bruises
(contusions); cuts and scrapes (lacerations); ankle, knee, or finger sprains or
fractures; shoulder dislocations; eye injuries;
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Biking (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
safety_and_prevention
Biking is a fun way for children of all ages to
get active and stay fit. Most children learn to ride a tricycle at around 3
years of age. Between 4 and 7 years of age most children learn to ride a bike.
However, remember that each child is different
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Burners and Stingers (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Burners and stingers are intense pains that
occur when the nerves that run from the neck to the arm are stretched or
compressed. This typically occurs in contact or collision sports where the
shoulder may be pushed backward or the head and neck
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Cheerleading (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Cheerleading is often thought of as a sport only
for high school and college athletes. However, it is becoming more popular among
younger athletes as well.
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Concussions (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
A concussion is any injury to the brain that
disrupts normal brain function on a temporary or permanent basis. Concussions
are typically caused by a blow or jolt to the head.
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Core Exercises (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Core exercises strengthen the muscles of the
spine, abdomen, and pelvis. These muscles support all physical activity.
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Diving (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Competitive springboard and platform divers
start training and competing at an early age. Many Olympic and world champions
are 18 years of age and younger.
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Encourage Your Child to Be Physically Active
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Today's youth are less active and more overweight than any previous generation.
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Exercise-Related Heat Illness (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Exercise-related heat illness (ERHI) or
"heat injury" happens when exercise is done in high temperature
and high humidity. It's one type of injury, unlike sports injuries caused
by contact, that can almost always be prevented with proper attention
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Figure Skating (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Figure skating is a lifelong sport that can be
enjoyed by people of all ages. Competitive skating requires strength,
flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, balance, jumping ability, artistic
expression, mental strength, and financial resources.
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Football (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Football is a fast-paced, aggressive, contact
team sport that is very popular among America's youth. Football programs
exist for players as young as 6 years all the way through high school, college,
and professional.
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Get Fit, Stay Healthy
Category:
adolescents
Any type of regular physical activity can improve your fitness and your health—even walking, taking the stairs, or mowing the lawn. The most important thing is that you keep moving!
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Golf (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
In the past, golf was seen by many as a leisure
activity for people with extra time and money to spend. Today golf is seen as a
sport, and one that appeals to younger participants.
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Gymnastics (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Gymnastics is a sport of flexibility and agility
that includes 4 forms: artistic, rhythmic, acrobatic, and tumbling and
trampoline. Each form has its unique physical demands and specific injury risks;
however, all forms include jumping and back
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Horseback Riding (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Horseback riding (equestrian) is a common
activity in the United States; about 30 million people go horseback riding every
year. Unlike other sports, the risk of injury is highest for the most
inexperienced riders. As riders gain experience,
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How to Prevent Overuse Injuries (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
safety_and_prevention
Over the past 20 years more children are
participating in organized and recreational athletics. With so many
young athletes playing sports, it's no wonder injuries are common. Half
of all sports medicine injuries in children and teens are from
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Ice Hockey (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Ice hockey is one of the fastest sports and
requires good physical conditioning and skating skills. It is a team sport
played from the ages of 5 to 6 years through adulthood.
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Is Your Child Ready for Sports? (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Sports readiness means that a child has the
physical, mental, and social skills to meet the demands of the sport. While
general guidelines can help you select a sport based on age, it's
important to remember that children develop at different
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Lacrosse (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in
the United States. It's both a contact (boys) and noncontact (girls)
sport. Injuries differ between the contact game of boys' lacrosse (body
contact and stick checking allowed) and the noncontact
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Little League Elbow (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Little League elbow is a common overuse injury
associated with throwing. This injury is most common in pitchers but also occurs
in catchers, infielders, and outfielders.
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Martial Arts (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
More than 6 million children in the United
States participate in martial arts. Martial arts are known to improve social
skills, discipline, and respect in children. Children can also improve their
abilities to concentrate and focus on activities,
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Nutrition and Supplement Use (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Young athletes often try special diets and
supplements to improve their athletic performance. However, many of these
products do not live up to their claims to increase strength, speed, and
athletic skills. Athletes should focus instead on following
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Osgood-Schlatter Disease (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Osgood-Schlatter is a common condition in young
athletes that refers to irritation of a growth plate at the knee. It typically
occurs in active teens during their growth spurt and resolves after the bone
stops growing.
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Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Patellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most
common causes of knee pain in young athletes. The condition is an overuse injury
that results from activities that cause pressure or friction on the cartilage
behind the kneecap. Patellofemoral
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Performance-Enhancing Supplements (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
The most effective way young athletes can improve their sports performance is to pay close attention to the basics: fluids, calories, training, conditioning, and rest. Shortcuts, such as the use of performance-enhancing substances and supplements, are of little benefit and are potentially damaging to
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Physical Activity: Creating a FITT Plan (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Physical activity is important for everyone in the family. The following is information from the American Academy of Pediatrics summarizing the FITT method and includes general fitness tips and an activity log.
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Physical Activity: Overcoming Obstacles (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
There are many benefits of regular physical activity; however, people often have many excuses for not being more physically active. The following is information from the American Academy of Pediatrics encouraging families to consider all the benefits of being physically active and how to overcome some
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Racquet Sports (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Racquet sports (tennis, racquetball, squash,
badminton, and paddle tennis) are sports of speed and agility and involve
athletes of all ages.
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Rowing (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Rowing is a lifelong, year-round sport that
requires dedication and intense training. Rowing on the water, an ergometer, and
indoor water tanks along with weight training and running are integral parts of
training. In high school and college
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Running (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Running, as a sport, can involve a number of
different forms, including the following:
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Safe Weight Loss and Weight Gain (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
Many athletes actively seek changes in body
weight in hopes of improving athletic performance. In some sports, such as
wrestling, gymnastics, dancing, and running, athletes and coaches associate
optimal performance with a relatively low body
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Sever's Disease (Care of the Young Athlete)
Category:
sports_and_fitness
The calcaneal apophysis is a growth center where
the Achilles tendon and the plantar fascia attach to the heel. It first appears
in children aged 7 to 8 years. By ages 12 to 14 years the growth center matures
and fuses to the heel bone.
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