SportsMD

Adolescent athletic injuries are on the rise and have actually been termed the “silent epidemic” in the field of sports medicine.

Historically, young kids participated in a variety of sports rotating through different sports as the seasons changed. Young boys might have rotated through football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring. Young girls may have participated in volleyball in the fall, basketball in the ... Read more

Although the benefits of exercising during pregnancy are well known, there is controversy over whether competitive athletes should continue to compete in their sport during pregnancy.

A number of pregnant athletes have continued to compete while pregnant including Olympic beach gold medalist volleyball player Kerry Walsh, WNBA athlete Candace Parker, and LPGA player Catriona Matthew who won the Brazil Cup when she was five months pregnant. However, the issue becomes more complicated when ... Read more

Optimum performance through physical training applies not only to high-impact sports like power lifting and football, but also to lower impact sports like golf. Strength, flexibility and endurance training can improve an athlete’s performance and give him an edge, but without proper hydration during training and on-course competition, performance can be significantly impaired.

According to a report in the May 10, 2004 issue of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (JISSN), depending on ... Read more

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Maron, B.J., Shirani, J., Poliac, L.C., Mathenge, R., Roberts, W.C., & Mueller, F.O., 1996), routine electroencephalographs as part of a preparticipation physical exam could reduce sudden cardiac deaths in young athletes. The researchers analyzed sudden deaths in young athletes between 1985 and 1995, and determined that 85% of the sudden deaths were caused by some type of heart related abnormality.

Of those athletes who died from heart abnormalities, the most common structural cardiovascular disease was identified as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic ... Read more

Hundreds of athletes sustain acute injuries everyday while participating in sports. An acute sports injury is one in which there is a specific mechanism of injury (hit by ball, plant and twist, collision with opponent) and an immediate onset of symptoms including swelling, pain, bleeding, and possible deformity.

A number of types of sports injuries can be considered acute including:
• Sprains (injury to ligaments)
• Strains (injury to muscles)
• Contusions (bruise)
• Subluxation (partial dislocation that reduces itself)
• Dislocation
• Fractures

If there are signs or symptoms of a serious injury (deformity, severe swelling and/or pain), emergency ... Read more