Let’s Get Physical

Back to school also brings us back to the playing field.

School sports are a tradition in my family. Almost all of us played something. My husband played baseball. I was a cheerleader. Grandpa was a wrestler and golfer.

When my kids were at an appropriate age, we tried them in every conceivable sport. We wanted to see what they loved. It was important to us that they had a love for the game and felt they had a choice in the selection. We knew that if they didn’t love it at the elementary and middle school levels, chances are they’d struggle later on when competition and expectation really heat up. Today, my daughter is a total soccer enthusiast. My son is taking after grandpa and heads to the golf course or driving range most weekends.

We love being active and healthy together. Organized sports are a big part of that lifestyle, especially school sports. School sports are an opportunity to share victories and losses, successes and failures. I love watching my children play. Whether or not we win or lose, everyone has fun together cheering and competing. When it’s over, we walk off the field as friends.

School sports teach great life lessons, like the importance of good sportsmanship, persistence, endurance, and practice. Being on a team motivates children to do better in school and helps them build healthy social and decision-making skills. For all these reasons, I want my children to have a long and healthy athletic career. That’s why it is important to me that my children play safely.

To prepare for the upcoming season we have this simple checklist:

1. First, we make sure all our gear still fits. Growth spurts have a habit of sneaking up on parents. I was watching my daughter run across the soccer field one evening and noticed she was doing this weird hop-skip run. Turns out her cleats were hurting because they were too small and she never bothered to mention it. Now, we try everything on before the season starts. We make sure everything fits and is in good condition.
2. Second, we re-evaluate our nutrition. In my family, we work hard. A treat now and then is well-earned. During the summer break, we usually indulge a little more than usual, which means the pantry and refrigerator end up with more ice cream, chips, and soda. However, it’s hard to go from eating ice cream on the sofa to sprinting across the field without a nutritional reboot. We swap soda bottles for water bottles. We try to restrain our grocery shopping to the perimeter of the grocery store, focusing on fresh fruit, veggies, healthy grains, and lean meats.
3. Lastly, and probably most importantly, we make sure to schedule sports physicals. Most schools and rec teams require children to have a sports physical completed by a medical physician before participating in any team activities. Schools often offer locker room sports physicals, where a sports medicine specialist conducts an on-site exam for each player. Sports medicine specialists like Dr. Vaughan Massie, with the Carolina Musculoskeletal Institute (CMI), conduct hundreds of sports exams every year.

Sports medicine specialists work specifically with athletes. They specialize in movement and musculoskeletal conditions and have vast experience diagnosing and treating everything from ACL repair to neuroplasty. A comprehensive sport physical examines for a variety of health and fitness issues, including high blood pressure, heart murmurs, skin conditions, and musculoskeletal disorders. For many kids, a sports physical is the only opportunity to be seen by a physician unless they are sick, and the sports physical can help detect emerging problems.

In addition to a sports physical, Aiken County schools also require a concussion form. As a soccer mom, I am very concerned about concussions. Luckily, at my daughter’s age level they don’t head the ball. However, head trauma is a risk in any contact sport and shouldn’t be taken lightly. If your athlete receives a head injury, don’t take any chances. See a physician immediately. Any delay between injury and treatment can lead to a worse outcome. Concussions often take time to develop, so a serious condition may be dismissed as a minor injury. Only a qualified physician can diagnose a concussion properly. CMI is one of the area’s only medical practices trained in a multi-point concussion exam. Their expertise can help identify subtle symptoms that are easily overlooked or misdiagnosed.

For many students and parents, school sports are a fun family tradition and the heart of school spirit. Keep the tradition and spirit alive and enjoyable for everyone, especially for young athletes. Fortify their health and athletic ability with an annual sports physical before each season. With proper medical attention before, during, and after playing or injuries, parents can rest assured that their children will be able to play and compete in top form.