Category Archives: Orthopedics

Concussion: New guidelines improve safety

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You may have read and heard a lot about concussions lately. I recently cowrote a clinical report on sports-related concussions in children and adolescents that will be published today in Pediatrics. There have been some positive changes in the NFL and NCAA to improve safety, but you will be glad to know the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association has been following these improved rules for a few years now.

Concussions are brain injuries and need to be taken seriously. They don’t just happen in …Continue reading →

Protect those pearly whites

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March Madness continues and the elbows are flying. To help prevent dental injuries and cuts to the face, lips and inside of the mouth, any athlete playing a collision or contact sport should wear a mouth guard.

There are three main types of mouth guards: stock, boil and bite, and custom.

Stock mouth guards are available at your local drug store, and can be immediately removed from the package and placed in the mouth. Although they’re convenient, they tend to be very bulky and require the child to constantly bite down to hold the mouth guard in place.

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TLC for your brain: Wear a helmet

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Concussion has been a hot topic in the news lately. In youth sports, several states recently passed laws requiring coaches to be educated about concussions and kids with suspected concussions to be stopped from practice or playing until they receive medical clearance.

In football alone, there are 100,000 concussions per year. Whether you’re an Olympian, high school athlete or simply sledding in the park, helmets are essential safety gear.

When buying a helmet, it’s important to remember a few guidelines:

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Enjoy the snow and sled safely, please

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Well, the snow is coming down today marking the first big snowstorm of 2010. Though we adults may dread driving in it, nothing makes kids happier than sledding down a hill blanketed with fresh snow.

But did you know that each winter 24,500 kids are injured in sledding accidents? About 3,000 of these kids suffer a serious brain injury as a result. These are scary statistics that no parent wants to think about. A few simple precautions can help prevent many of these …Continue reading →

Concussion: myths and the importance of treatment

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You may have read and heard a lot about concussions lately. U.S. Congress recently held a special session to learn more about the effects of concussion on National Football League players. Concussions don’t just happen in professional sports, they happen in every sport, at any age, and to both boys and girls.

Concussions are treated much differently now than they were 25 years ago — or even five years ago. While we have learned a lot about concussion, medical professionals still are constantly learning how to better recognize, treat and prevent long-term consequences.

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