Sports are great, but your child can have too much of a good thing. Your child can learn a lot of valuable skills and life lessons on the court or field, but at some point, the physical and mental rigor of sports can be too much, leading to mental and physical fatigue and injury. In this episode of DocSmo.com, Dr Smolen reviews the AAP guidelines for limiting competitive sports and gives you some common sense guidelines of his own.

Musical Intro:

 

Introduction

Thanks for joining me today. This is Dr. Paul Smolen, your pedcast host. Sports season is here and unfortunately that means a lot of injuries for children. They are out there swimming, they’re jumping, they are climbing and running. They’re very very active so I thought today we would provide you with some information to help you navigate your child from the Little League to the Big leagues of life hopefully injury free.  Hold on your iPad. Here comes another important pedcast. As always by listening to the speakers you are agreed to my terms and conditions one of those conditions is that the speakers are not intended to be specific health advice or any particular child but rather general learning information for the parents.

 

The Overuse injury in children

Now pediatricians are frequently presented with children who have an assortment aches and pain‘s and like most problems in medicine, the answer to those aches and pains usually lies in the history, that is the questions that pediatricians ask. I’ve learned after 37 years of practice that asking good questions and carefully listening to the answers will usually lead me to the why of most aches and pains. Your child is growing up in the era of sports camps, personal trainers, and almost constant competition. Many are trained like professional athletes. So today we’re going to talk about the so-called overuse injuries that are so common in school in school aged children and adolescents. I often see young children who play on multiple teams competing daily with year-round competition in whatever pursuit they have chosen. Now, what are their parents thinking about? That kind of intensity would be hard for anyone to maintain especially a child! So let’s explore a little today when it comes to children and athletic injuries.

 

What Kind of Injuries do Children Sustain?

OK so let’s get into the specifics of the patterns of injury that we see in children. I’m a simple kind of guy and I like to keep things very simple so I always try to find some simplicity whenever possible. In my world there are two types of musculoskeletal injuries; those that happen from when I called the big crash, “I fell off my bike and I know exactly the moment I hurt my arm”. Alternatively, those where no one can even remember when the injury happened. I call these the stealth injury type that probably came from lots of little injuries that were not memorable at the time but one day, Charlie‘s arm started to hurt. It’s that simple. Big crash or stealth injury. That’s what I’m listening for when people are telling me the story of their aches and pains. Now during this talk, we’re going to exclude the big crash kind of injuries and we’re only going to talk about the stealth injuries. The second type of injury; the little hurts that add up over time to something big. Now the child usually tells me what is causing the pain by telling me what their other activities are; soccer daily with travel on a travel team (ding, ding, ding), competition swimming with two practices a day (ding, ding, ding), or I sometimes hear tennis almost daily with coaching followed by tournaments each week or month (ding, ding, ding) or long-distance running adding up to about 40 miles a week (ding, ding, ding,). So, you’re getting the idea that this is not exactly rocket science. Just listen! The location of the pain and the activity that the child is participating in,

Introduction

The other day I was giving a talk to a 12 year old young man and his mother at the end of his checkup that I am sure I have delivered thousands of times before over the years.  As I was speaking, the thought crossed my mind that I need to share this talk with my podcast listeners.  Of course! If I have bothered to consistently deliver it in person for so many years, it must be important.  In fact, I know this little conversation has saved at least a few children from devastating injuries.  Why you ask, because a few children have told me so? I am particularly righteous about giving this talk to my preteen and teenage boy patients because they seem to need it the most. I want them to hear it directly from me! Girls have accidents as well and all of these tips apply to girls as well, of course, but today my focus is on accidents that I see far more frequent in boys for reasons I am about to explain. So sit back and hear how this pediatrician talks to children, especially boys, about the number one cause of morbidity and death in children, childhood accidents.

 

Today's podcast is sponsored by a fellow blogger, Dr. Charlotte Rouchouze, who has created a wonderful blog called "The Childrens Table". There you will find interesting recipes, discussions about what's new in childhood nutrition, and descriptions of feeding practices around the world, all done in a solid, down to earth practical manner. If you have children in your house who you want to make good eaters, check out thechildrenstable.com today. You'll be glad you did.

Musical introduction

Boys will be Boys

Boys, especially pre adolescent and adolescent boys are wired to seek thrills. How do I know this? As I explain to my patients, I know this for two reasons; First, believe it or not, it wasn't all that long ago that I was a young teen and had the thrill seeking mindset. Fortunately, I survived those years without a devastating injury but let me tell you, I had some close calls. Secondly, I have spent my adult life taking care of injuries in this age group of boys and young men. If you have a few hours or maybe days, I can tell you some amazing true stories about bright, good looking, athletic, intelligent young men who had a moment when whatever crazy thing they were trying "Just seemed like a good idea". That's always what they say after the injury, "it just seemed like a good idea." What they are really saying is that the reward of having a wonderful thrill, outweighed the risks in their judgement at that moment. As I said before, boys are wired to seek thrills, whether that be jumping amazingly high, going a little faster than the last run, showing off their super agility, knocking over someone bigger, etc. Pushing the envelope is just thrilling, regardless of the consequences.

Thrill Seeking Comes with a Price

But all that thrill seeking comes at a price. Sometimes, things go very wrong and the end game can be pretty ugly, sometimes with life changing permanent injuries. Sustaining a permanent spinal cord or head injury in the pursuit of the perfect flip is a really bum deal. Imagine watching all your friends play, from the view of a wheelchair, waiting for someone to come change your diapers. I like to put that image in my male patients brains with each checkup as they get older.  And that is no exaggeration. I often ask, junior's parents if they knew someone when they were growing up who became a para or quadriplegic in the pursuit of a thrill. Most parents do know someone who had such a devastating injury.  It's pretty common.

Which Thrills are the Most Dangerous?

What are these thrills you might be thinking? The majority of the really serious injuries that I see in the thrill seeking boy crowd that I care for, happen when a child is "playing" with powerful motorized vehicles like dirt bikes or four ...

Introduction

The other day I was giving a talk to a 12 year old young man and his mother at the end of his checkup that I am sure I have delivered thousands of times before over the years.  As I was speaking, the thought crossed my mind that I need to share this talk with my podcast listeners.  Of course! If I have bothered to consistently deliver it in person for so many years, it must be important.  In fact, I know this little conversation has saved at least a few children from devastating injuries.  Why you ask, because a few children have told me so? I am particularly righteous about giving this talk to my preteen and teenage boy patients because they seem to need it the most. I want them to hear it directly from me! Girls have accidents as well and all of these tips apply to girls as well, of course, but today my focus is on accidents that I see far more frequent in boys for reasons I am about to explain. So sit back and hear how this pediatrician talks to children, especially boys, about the number one cause of morbidity and death in children, childhood accidents.

 

Today's podcast is sponsored by a fellow blogger, Dr. Charlotte Rouchouze, who has created a wonderful blog called "The Childrens Table". There you will find interesting recipes, discussions about what's new in childhood nutrition, and descriptions of feeding practices around the world, all done in a solid, down to earth practical manner. If you have children in your house who you want to make good eaters, check out thechildrenstable.com today. You'll be glad you did.

Musical introduction

Boys will be Boys

Boys, especially pre adolescent and adolescent boys are wired to seek thrills. How do I know this? As I explain to my patients, I know this for two reasons; First, believe it or not, it wasn't all that long ago that I was a young teen and had the thrill seeking mindset. Fortunately, I survived those years without a devastating injury but let me tell you, I had some close calls. Secondly, I have spent my adult life taking care of injuries in this age group of boys and young men. If you have a few hours or maybe days, I can tell you some amazing true stories about bright, good looking, athletic, intelligent young men who had a moment when whatever crazy thing they were trying "Just seemed like a good idea". That's always what they say after the injury, "it just seemed like a good idea." What they are really saying is that the reward of having a wonderful thrill, outweighed the risks in their judgement at that moment. As I said before, boys are wired to seek thrills, whether that be jumping amazingly high, going a little faster than the last run, showing off their super agility, knocking over someone bigger, etc. Pushing the envelope is just thrilling, regardless of the consequences.

Thrill Seeking Comes with a Price

But all that thrill seeking comes at a price. Sometimes, things go very wrong and the end game can be pretty ugly, sometimes with life changing permanent injuries. Sustaining a permanent spinal cord or head injury in the pursuit of the perfect flip is a really bum deal. Imagine watching all your friends play, from the view of a wheelchair, waiting for someone to come change your diapers. I like to put that image in my male patients brains with each checkup as they get older.  And that is no exaggeration. I often ask, junior's parents if they knew someone when they were growing up who became a para or quadriplegic in the pursuit of a thrill. Most parents do know someone who had such a devastating injury.  It's pretty common.

Which Thrills are the Most Dangerous?

What are these thrills you might be thinking? The majority of the really serious injuries that I see in the thrill seeking boy crowd that I care for, happen when a child is "playing" with powerful motorized vehicles like dirt bikes or four ...

Introduction

 

Today, I am going to go back to a post that I made in 2011 and reiterate the point that all parents need to know the usual sequence of their children's respiratory illnesses. By knowing what is normal,  you will know when to be suspicious that things are going wrong and need action.  I call the usual uncomplicated sequence of a coughing illness, the "rhythm of a cough". If you are a parent with older children, you know that kids get a lot of coughs and colds and knowing when to get worried is a an important skill for parents to master.  So sit back and listen to this Doc Smo classic, The Rhythm of Your Child's Cough.

Today's podcast is sponsored by a fellow blogger, Dr. Charlotte Rouchouze, who has created a wonderful blog called "The Children's Table". There you will find interesting recipes, discussions about what's new in childhood nutrition, and descriptions of feeding practices around the world, all done in a solid, down to earth practical manner. If you have children in your house who you want to make good eaters, check out thechildrenstable.com today. You'll be glad you did.

Now onto the pedcast.

 

Musical Intro

Science Drive

News Flash! The germ theory is past the theory stage...it is fact. Almost all childhood illness is caused by viruses, those sub microscopic little pieces of genetic material wrapped up in a little box called a capsule that have proven to be so incredibly effective at using us as their hosts. Remember the swine flu a few years ago? Despite our best efforts, that newly discovered virus made its way to every continent within two weeks of emergence, to a large degree because of children. Kids are virus magnets because their hands seem to be everywhere and are almost always dirty and in their mouths or noses. Those little hyperactive, never-sit-still machines you call your children seem to touch everything in just milliseconds, infecting every surface they get near with their spit and nasal secretions. Two days later, the victims of these germs begin to realize they are sick. If the germ is put in the nose, runny nose will most likely be first symptom. If it goes in the throat, that awful sore throat will kick things off. And don’t forget about the eyes…they are part of the respiratory tract as well. Your child might herald a full blown viral illness with a red, watery eye. So much fun.

The Usual Rhythm of a Cough

Now here is what I want you to learn and remember today about respiratory illness in children: it follows a predictable pattern of localization such as upper, middle, and lower infections. We’ve talked about that before (https://www.docsmo.com/doc-smo-making-sense-of-your-childs-next-virus-2/), but also the pattern of how your child felt and how his or her symptoms progressed. Think about one of the many respiratory illnesses your children have undoubtedly had in their lives. It probably went something like this:

Day 1- Your child began to feel poorly and had fairly localized symptoms such as a stuffy/runny nose or a sore throat. Fever may have started because the virus was rapidly replicating and growing in numbers. Your child’s body didn’t like that.

Day 2- Your child probably felt worse and had even more symptoms: more sore throat, more cough, more stuffy/runny nose and maybe even more fever. Remember, these are infections of the surface cells of their nose, throat, and bronchioles. The virus is literally creeping its way down and up your child’s respiratory system infecting these surface cells.

Day 3- Most likely, your child’s symptoms had now maxed out and they now had lots of cough, runny nose, and maybe you even lost some of their voice…but by some miracle, your child was starting to actually FEEL better but sound worse.Why, you ask? Because the quantity of virus was going down since they have run out of surface cells to gro...

Introduction

 

Today, I am going to go back to a post that I made in 2011 and reiterate the point that all parents need to know the usual sequence of their children's respiratory illnesses. By knowing what is normal,  you will know when to be suspicious that things are going wrong and need action.  I call the usual uncomplicated sequence of a coughing illness, the "rhythm of a cough". If you are a parent with older children, you know that kids get a lot of coughs and colds and knowing when to get worried is a an important skill for parents to master.  So sit back and listen to this Doc Smo classic, The Rhythm of Your Child's Cough.

Today's podcast is sponsored by a fellow blogger, Dr. Charlotte Rouchouze, who has created a wonderful blog called "The Children's Table". There you will find interesting recipes, discussions about what's new in childhood nutrition, and descriptions of feeding practices around the world, all done in a solid, down to earth practical manner. If you have children in your house who you want to make good eaters, check out thechildrenstable.com today. You'll be glad you did.

Now onto the pedcast.

 

Musical Intro

Science Drive

News Flash! The germ theory is past the theory stage...it is fact. Almost all childhood illness is caused by viruses, those sub microscopic little pieces of genetic material wrapped up in a little box called a capsule that have proven to be so incredibly effective at using us as their hosts. Remember the swine flu a few years ago? Despite our best efforts, that newly discovered virus made its way to every continent within two weeks of emergence, to a large degree because of children. Kids are virus magnets because their hands seem to be everywhere and are almost always dirty and in their mouths or noses. Those little hyperactive, never-sit-still machines you call your children seem to touch everything in just milliseconds, infecting every surface they get near with their spit and nasal secretions. Two days later, the victims of these germs begin to realize they are sick. If the germ is put in the nose, runny nose will most likely be first symptom. If it goes in the throat, that awful sore throat will kick things off. And don’t forget about the eyes…they are part of the respiratory tract as well. Your child might herald a full blown viral illness with a red, watery eye. So much fun.

The Usual Rhythm of a Cough

Now here is what I want you to learn and remember today about respiratory illness in children: it follows a predictable pattern of localization such as upper, middle, and lower infections. We’ve talked about that before (https://www.docsmo.com/doc-smo-making-sense-of-your-childs-next-virus-2/), but also the pattern of how your child felt and how his or her symptoms progressed. Think about one of the many respiratory illnesses your children have undoubtedly had in their lives. It probably went something like this:

Day 1- Your child began to feel poorly and had fairly localized symptoms such as a stuffy/runny nose or a sore throat. Fever may have started because the virus was rapidly replicating and growing in numbers. Your child’s body didn’t like that.

Day 2- Your child probably felt worse and had even more symptoms: more sore throat, more cough, more stuffy/runny nose and maybe even more fever. Remember, these are infections of the surface cells of their nose, throat, and bronchioles. The virus is literally creeping its way down and up your child’s respiratory system infecting these surface cells.

Day 3- Most likely, your child’s symptoms had now maxed out and they now had lots of cough, runny nose, and maybe you even lost some of their voice…but by some miracle, your child was starting to actually FEEL better but sound worse.Why, you ask? Because the quantity of virus was going down since they have run out of surface cells to gro...

This episode of DocSmo.com stresses the importance of promoting literacy in your children by reading to them frequently and making sure they have regular enjoyable visits to the library. Every child should have and use a library card frequently!

Subscribe on iTunes!

*By listening to this pedcast, you are agreeing to Doc Smo's terms and conditions.

All Rights Reserved.

This episode of DocSmo.com stresses the importance of promoting literacy in your children by reading to them frequently and making sure they have regular enjoyable visits to the library. Every child should have and use a library card frequently!

Subscribe on iTunes!

*By listening to this pedcast, you are agreeing to Doc Smo's terms and conditions.

All Rights Reserved.

breakfast increases a child's metabolism, eating breakfast helps children with weight control, high quality and low quality breakfast foods, Improved cognitive function in children who eat breakfast, maintaining control of your child's eating, processed foods, six reasons your children need breakfast, why breakfast for children

breakfast increases a child's metabolism, eating breakfast helps children with weight control, high quality and low quality breakfast foods, Improved cognitive function in children who eat breakfast, maintaining control of your child's eating, processed foods, six reasons your children need breakfast, why breakfast for children

Introduction

Welcome. Doc Smo here, your pedcast host. I had an amazingly gratifying experience recently that I want to share with you, especially if your child is struggling in school. In today's pedcast, we are going to talk about some simple parenting task that is bound to help your children. Curious about what those tasks could be?  Then stay tuned to learn more in today's installment of Portable Practical Pediatrics. 

Musical Introduction

A Routine Talk Turns Extraordinary

Recently, I was asked to speak to a group of parents of “at risk children” who had come to a family education evening to talk about how to maximize their children’s performance in school. We talked about the research that has been discussed on this blog many times. Specifically, I wanted to stress the factors that parents have control of that have been shown to improve a child's academic achievement;

-Keeping TV’s out of a child’s bedroom and limiting screen time

-Getting an adequate amount of physical activity and unstructured play

-Having a diet rich with unprocessed foods

-Getting an adequate amount of sleep.

Well, the night this event occurred was actually the second time I had spoken at this church and talked about this topic.

A Testimonial

I thought my first talk with this group of parents had gone pretty well but I had no idea of how well.  At the onset of my next visit with these parents, an amazing thing happened.  Before we got into the talk, an older gentleman raised his hand and told me he had a testimonial to share. That's what he called it, a "Testimonial". He told the audience and me that he and his wife were raising their grandson who was currently in 4th grade and not doing very well academically. He said that he and his wife had decided, after hearing my first talk, to try getting their grandson a structured regular bedtime, free of screens and junk food to see what would happen. Specifically, they wanted to get him to bed early enough for him to get up the next morning without a fight. That was their goal. To do this, they completely restructured his bedtime: they removed the TV from his room and cut off screen time after 7pm. they insisted that he was to eat all of his food at dinner and was to get nothing no more after that. Bedtime was set at 8pm and enforced. Lights out and time to sleep.

 

After doing all of this, they said the transition was nothing short of miraculous. He almost immediately stopped fighting about getting ready for school in the morning and actually woke up in the morning on his own. He also stopped fighting about going to sleep.  And the best thing is that his grades showed an immediate improvement. Whereas he had been struggling to keep up in school, now he was getting good grades! They said even his personality was more pleasant. They attributed all of this great stuff to him having a regular bedtime and adequate sleep. They had no idea that not having a structured bedtime, letting him play video games late into the evening, eating junk food at night, and falling asleep in front of screens was so detrimental to him.

 

An Amazing Statistic

Some of you may have read the book Nurture Shock. I wrote a book review about it a few years ago.  Listen to this shocking statistic that the authors of Nurture Shock discovered: a school aged child who has a one hour sleep deprivation on a chronic basis will, on average, perform 2 years younger than their chronologic age cognitively. That means that a 6th grader will perform like a 4th grader academically if they get 1 hour less sleep at night on a chronic basis.  Clearly, sleep deprivation is having a major impact on a young child's brain. Case closed and the young man in this story was probably a good example of sleep deprivation that was cognitively impairing. Whatever it was,