FastMed Urgent Care is advising North Carolina student
athletes, their parents and trainers on best practices when it comes to pre-participation
sports physicals, pre-injury care and post-injury care to help ensure improved
long-term positive health care outcomes and reduced recovery periods for child
athletes.
With
the winter sports season in full swing for basketball, wrestling, indoor track,
girls gymnastics, swimming and cheerleading, and other sports, more child
athletes are seeking quality care for injuries. In addition, the spring season
is approaching quickly, so students will need their annual sports
pre-participation physical examination for varsity and junior varsity soccer, softball
and baseball, tennis, track and lacrosse.
Melvin
G. Lee, MD, Chief Medical Officer of FastMed Urgent Care in North Carolina,
provides the following advice for parents and guardians for child athletes:
1.
If a student suffers
any type of athletic injury, it’s best to play it safe and get it checked out
as soon as possible to avoid any long-term complications as the child grows.
2.
The medical
examination, which should be performed by a licensed physician, nurse
practitioner, or physician assistant, should include an evaluation of prior
concussions or other head injuries, chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes
and asthma, and a family genetic history of heart murmurs, heart infections or
seizures.
3.
Make sure that the
clinicians treating their children are trained to provide specific
recommendations for further testing and treatment, document any athletic injury
restrictions, academic accommodations and return-to-play instructions, and
effectively communicate to the child, trainer, parents and school, based on the
individual needs of the athlete.
4.
Make sure that the
clinic has the ability and equipment to treat the vast majority of sports
injuries, including onsite x-ray evaluations, treatment of fractures and
dislocations, braces, splints, injections and concussion evaluation after a
traumatic brain injury (TBI) or impact.
5.
For pre-participation
physicals, parents should pay attention not just to quality care, but also to
convenience and price; for instance, at FastMed students can walk-in and
receive their sports physical in less than 20 minutes for only $30 (sports
physical examinations can cost as much as $59 at some doctors’ offices and
clinics).
Dr.
Lee explained that nationally ankle (15%), head (14%), finger (12%), knee (9%)
and face (7%) injuries were the most common recorded according to a 2013 report
from the non-profit advocacy group Safe Kids Worldwide[1]. Sprains, strains,
fractures, contusions, abrasions and concussions are among the most common
sports-related injuries treated by FastMed.
[1]
Safe Kids Worldwide:
http://www.safekids.org/press-release/135-million-children-seen-emergency-rooms-sports-related-injuries
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