Naomi J. Brown, MD, Pediatric Sports Medicine on Youth Sports Injuries

Rick talks to Naomi J. Brown, MD, pediatric sports medicine specialist about injuries in youth sports. While playing sports can be important for both physical and mental health, injuries are bound to happen, landing millions of young athletes in the ER each year. Contact and collision sports like football, basketball, hockey and soccer often cause injuries, but so can other sports like baseball, gymnastics, bicycling and even ballet. Experts say establishing a healthy training routine is the key to preventing most injuries. This includes stretching and cooling down, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep. Experts also say it’s important to avoid comparison, as every child is different in terms of growth, muscle strength and bone density. Topics: How common are injuries in young athletes? What are the most common types of injuries you see? What can children and teens do to prevent injury? When it comes to sports injuries, what’s the best option for treatment – an ER, urgent care or pediatrician’s office? Where can we go to learn more? Naomi J. Brown, MD, is a pediatric sports medicine specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) focusing on sports injury prevention, overuse injuries and pain management. Her areas of expertise are dance medicine, hypermobility, injury prevention, pediatric injuries, pediatric sports medicine, repetitive strain injuries, skiing and snowboarding injuries and sports injuries.