Health & Safety

College cheerleaders are at high risk for body image issues and eating disorders - and may be affected by how revealing their uniforms are, according to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting in Baltimore.

Static stretching improves flexibility over resistance training, according to conventional wisdom, but a new study suggests that strength training may work just as well, if not better, in increasing an athlete's flexibility.

Middle-school students with higher levels of physical fitness fared better on standardized tests than students who were less fit., according to new research. The study suggests that cutting physical education classes to focus on academics might be counterproductive.

Does your child know his sweat rate?  Turns out it is the key to replacing fluids lost during exercise, according to several studies presented 2010 annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Baltimore, with experts recommending that athletes replace 150% of the weight loss from sweating in the first four hours after sports.

With summer temperatures soaring, the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has prepared a list of important tips that people of all ages can follow to enjoy physical activity and exercise and also reduce the risk of exertional heat illness that may occur from activity in the heat of summer. This is especially timely in July and August when young athletes are participating in summer and pre-season sports programs and back-to-school games are just around the corner.

After birth every baby is tested for a wide variety of conditions and diseases. One of the tests looks for the condition called "Sickle Cell Trait."  Ordinarily, a relatively benign condition, sickle cell trait can have potentially devastating implications for youth  engaged in sustained, intense exercise, such as in sports practices, which can result in a life-threatening condition called exertional sickling.

MomsTeam hydration expert, Dr. Susan Yeargin, debunks five common heat illness and hydration myths about children exercising in the heat.

Learning proper lifting form for young athletes helps maximize the benefits of strength training and conditioning, which include developing improved joint mobility, stability and control, core strength, balance and flexibility.

"Hand hygiene is the single most important practice in reducing the transmission of infectious [diseases]," says a new position statement by the National Athletic Trainers' Association on preventing, recognizing and treating skin infections in athletics, including community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). 

Skin infections in athletes, including community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), are extremely common.  The nature of athletics, which expose the skin to a wide variety of stresses, trauma, environmental factors, and infectious agents, all combine to continually attack the integrity of the skin and lead to considerable disruption to individual and team activities.  A new position statement by the National Athletic Trainers' Association, says that recognition of skin diseases is absolutely essential, particularly by certified athletic trainers, who "represent the first line of defense against spread of infections to other team members."