Summer vacations planned to the max – sports camp, band camp, summer leagues – mean more chances for sports injuries as well as a greater need for good nutrition for your little-leaguer.
With each new sports season, the types of injuries change, said Dr. Mark E. Bohlman, chairman of imaging at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
“We?re diagnosing more sports injuries now than ever before,” he said. “We?re probably seeing the same numbers, but before, we?d give a tentative diagnosis rather than confirming the diagnosis with more powerful imaging.”
State of the art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can show things doctors previously only guessed at, including bone bruises and damage to cartilage, Bohlman said. “In the past they tried to work through it, which just kept making it worse.”
Bayview boasts a 3-Tesla strength Verio MRI, the highest power scanner available, which shows Bohlman unprecedented detail in a number of injuries.
What to eat before you go on the field can be just as important for your health.
With all the information available, filtering truth from myth can be daunting, said Dr. Amanda Leonard, a pediatric sports nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins Children?sCenter.
During May, Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Leonard and other pediatricians want to stress the importance of good sports nutrition and, as the hot weather approaches, the dangers of dehydration.
“I always remind parents: For children and teens the focus should be optimal health, not optimal performance,” Leonard said. “With optimal health, comes optimal performance. It really is that simple.”
As a general rule, 20 to 30 percent of the calories in a young athlete?s diet should come from fat, 50 to 65 percent from carbohydrates and 15 to 20 percent from protein, Leonard said. But endurance training, such as long-distance running, requires more calories from both carbs and protein, while strength training increases the body?s need for protein.
Be careful with protein, she warned. Too much can cause dehydration and strain the kidneys.
Don?t worry about supplements, she said, most aren?t tested or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables plus a daily multivitamin should provide all the nutrition an active growing body needs she said. Sports bars and gels enriched with protein, vitamins and minerals offer no greater nutritional benefit than regular food, though their size and convenient packaging make them a fast, easy way to recharge after practice or a game.
AVOID TROUBLE
Dehydration among children playing sports is common, especially in the hot summer months.
To avoid dehydration:
Before exercise, drink four to eight ounces of water
During activity, drink four ounces every 15 minutes
After exercise, drink 16 to 24 ounces for every pound lost to sweat
Symptoms of dehydration include muscle cramps, dry mouth and severe thirst, reduced sweating and urination, headache and dizziness.
Source: Johns Hopkins Children?s Center
