Washington Health System

Need help keeping track of your child's immunizations? Visit cdc.gov for a printable immunization schedule. SPORTING GOOD HEALTH AND SAFETY Being well-fueled is a necessary component of good health for student athletes, but so is having a sports physical and taking steps to avoid injuries. "Sports physicals, or pre-participation examinations (PPEs), are important for screening student athletes for conditions that may limit participation or place them at risk for injury—and for detecting dangerous conditions that, while potentially life-threatening, may not present any symptoms," says Patricia Bornhorst, DO, Medical Director of the WHS Sports Medicine Program and Team Physician for the Washington Wild ings and Pennsylvania Rebellion. PPEs can help prevent sports injuries by detecting problems before a student athlete sets foot on the eld, but sports injury prevention remains important throughout the season. Reducing the risk for sports injuries involves many things you can and cannot control—from internal factors such as age, anatomy, body composition, gender, medical history, physical tness and skill level, to external factors, which include protective gear, player behavior, temperatures and weather conditions. "ere are numerous risk factors for sports injuries, and while some risk factors can't be controlled, some can—or at least, be reduced," Dr. Bornhorst says. "Risk factors such as level of tness, muscle strength, exibility and joint range of motion can be modied. is is where preparation—properly stretching, warming up and cooling down—comes into play." STRETCHING IT "Preparing the body before playing sports by stretching and warming up is absolutely critical for injury prevention and something that is oen overlooked," says Matt Guarino, DPT, Physical erapist and Sports Medicine Program Coordinator with WHS Sports Medicine and Outpatient Rehabilitation. "While warm-up stretches and activities can vary from sport to sport, the primary objective is to prepare the body for whatever the sport's physical demands may be. A good rule of thumb is to stretch all major muscle groups—stretch each muscle three times, holding each for 30 seconds. Athletes may also benet from dynamic stretching supervised by coaches or athletictrainers." Stretching and warming up, however, are only two of three vital components for activity prep and injury prevention. "Cooling down aer exercise is oen forgotten," Guarino says. "Properly cooling down allows the body to recover—and it also helps minimize injury and soreness following physicalactivity." Cool-down exercises can be as simple as taking a light walk around a eld or track following a run or simply repeating warm-up stretches. "More and more students are participating in sports each year, which means injuries are on the rise," Guarino says. "Many of the injuries my colleagues and I see are related to overuse, which is where properly stretching, warming up and cooling down can have a positive impact on injury prevention. Give your body a break by giving it time to heal in between sports seasons, and take time to care for your body by eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and warming up before and cooling down aer playing sports." » CALL DR. BORNHORST'S OFFICE AT (724) 229-2700 TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, OR CALL OUR PHYSICIAN REFERRAL LINE AT (724) 250-4310 TO FIND A PHYSICIAN NEAR YOU. TIME TO IMMUNIZE Immunizations are just as essential to children's health as good nutrition and sports physicals. They help protect children from catching vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, saving millions of lives each year. IS YOUR CHILD UP TO DATE? By the time your child turns 4, he or she should have had the following vaccinations: » DTaP (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis) » Hepatitis A » Hepatitis B » Influenza (the flu): yearly » Polio » Pneumococcal » Rotavirus » MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) » Varicella (chickenpox) When your child turns 11, he or she should receive the following immunizations: » Meningococcal: first dose (Booster shot is recommended at age 16.) » Tdap (tetanus, diptheria, pertussis) » HPV (human papillomavirus) F A L L 2016 | connections whs.org 5

• Cover