Health & Safety

Concussion rates in thirteen high school sports from 1998 to 2008, as reported in three separate studies, vary widely by sport and, in some cases, by gender.

A 2010 national survey by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the University of Michigan of parents of chidren age 12 to 17 years playing school sports reported a surprising lack of knowledge by parents of concussion risks despite the fact that more than six in ten were at least somewhat worried their children will suffer a concussion while playing school sports.

With its high pollen counts, increased humidity, and air pollution, summer is asthma season. Approximately 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma during their lifetime, and the number of people with asthma will grow by more than 100 million by 2025. ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Ian Wahl, DAc, LAc, CH  debunks common asthma myths and offers tips parents can take to prevent asthma attacks.

ACL injury prevention programs for female athletes such as the Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) program have value, despite lingering doubts about their effectiveness raised in a new study. While there is evidence that injury prevention programs may reduce the risk of some knee injuries, additional research in necessary, said the study author.

Female athletes are at signficantly greater risk of ACL injuries than male athletes. Up to now, predicting whether a female athlete was at risk for an ACL injury required expensive and complex laboratory-based motion analysis systems, such as those used in creating video games. Now it will be possible  to predict whether an athlete is high risk for anterior cruciate ligament injuries using a simple, low-cost tool in a doctor's office, report the authors of a new study. 

Nearly $30 million a year would be saved in hospital charges if early rather than delayed ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction surgery was performed on pediatric patients, according to a study presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) 2010 Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island.  Additionally, more than 7,300 tears to the meniscus and 7,800 cartilage tears in children could be avoided each year in the U.S. by early ACL surgery.

The purpose of lifting weights and resistance training in sports is simple: as a means to an end (improving performance), not as an end in itself (lifting more weight).  Understanding the basic benefits from good lifting technique and risks of poor sports training is critical to developing a purposeful and appropriate strength training program.

A lot has been written about the subject of stretching and flexibility in sports. Studies abound on the effects of flexibility on muscular strength, joint motion, and injury prevention, but the picture seems to become more muddled with every passing day, with even the conventional wisdom that static stretching improves flexibility over resistance training recently called into question. But the fact remains: stretching improves flexibility, a foundation for athletic success.

Children who don't exercise enough may show early signs of cardiovascular disease, according to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting in Baltimore.