Parents Guide of Las Vegas

Dr. Claudine Mendoza

School will soon be back in session and our boys and girls, will be involved in sports activities. Some are playing competitively with school or league teams and some are just having fun. All of us should be concerned with preventing injuries to our children while they are ­playing.

Prevention of injuries should start before actual play. The first step is to hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate. We know that we all are losing water all the time without being aware of it and this loss is increased by physical activity. Adequate fluid should be provided before and during activity. Supplements such as creatine should be avoided because they can increase ­dehydration.

No child should play or compete without proper protective equipment. This may be as simple as shin guards for soccer or a bicycle helmet. In football, protective equipment must be properly fitted, especially the helmet. An improperly fitting helmet makes injury more likely. There should always be proper matting for activities like cheerleader practice or  ­gymnastics.

No child should compete without the appropriate training and conditioning exercises. No child should compete against children who are so much stronger that they may seriously injure your child.

No child should compete when injured, despite their desire to not let down the coach or team. An injury which has not healed predisposes to a more serious injury. No child should be pressured into feeling winning is the only acceptable result. These are our children at play and it should be enjoyable for the child.

If your child is injured he should be evaluated by an experience person, be it a physician, a trainer or others knowledgeable about sports injuries. No injured child should return to the game until they have been evaluated. In the case of a head injury, any child who was knocked out or shows signs of a concussion, should not be returned to the game or compete again until a proper medical evaluation has been done. A child who sustains a new head injury before the prior injury is resolved is more likely to have serious consequences.

In the case of any injury, your child should not compete again until the injury is fully healed. When an injured area is re-injured before healing completely, it can result in a serious injury. A joint sprain can become torn ligaments or tendons if re-injured. Our girls are particularly susceptible to a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee when playing soccer and should play with healthy knees. Additionally, if the injury results from overuse of a particular joint or muscle (like pitcher’s elbow), the overuse injury should be fully healed before further competition. Our children have an entire life of sports ahead of them and we do not want that spoiled by failing to regard injuries properly.

Injury prevention is a joint undertaking between you, your child, the coach, and the trainer. You should discuss safety issues with your child and know that the coach and trainer also discuss this. The highest priority of the coach and trainer should be the health of your child.

Reviewed by Dr. Claudine Mendoza, a pediatrician at Good Night Pediatrics www.goodnightpeds.com which provides all-night urgent care for children and teenagers every night of the year from 5 P.M. to 5 A.M.

Dr. Jason Nielson has been interested in sports medicine for a long time. As a young soccer player in high school Dr. Nielson suffered a devastating and painful tear of his meniscus as well as a broken knee cap. In a strange twist of fate Dr. Nielson’s injury helped inspire him to get into medicine and eventually become one the foremost pediatric and adolescent sports medicine doctors in the United States. Today he works with dozens of local youth sports teams to help prevent the kind of sports injuries that he suffered as a young athlete.

Dr. Nielson’s road to Las Vegas took him to New York City where he completed medical school at Albert Einstein’s College of Medicine. A year after orthopedic residency training, he received a one year fellowship to Harvard for pediatric sports medicine.

Dr. Nielson’s unique skill set and passion for working with children were a perfect fit for Dr. Jonathan Camp and Dr. David Stewart at the Children’s Bone and Spine Surgery Institute. (Children’s Bone & Spine Surgery Institute is the only pediatric orthopedic surgery practice in Nevada).

Because children are still growing they should not just be treated as “little adults”. Injuries in children frequently require different therapeutic options than those used in adults. For example, injuries involving growing bones with open growth plates, more sensitive articular cartilage, and injuries related to growth spurts all require expertise that is not always as straight-forward as the standard treatments. Because these injuries are less common to general practitioners, they are often missed and sometimes mistreated.

Dr. Nielson says, “Adults have adult doctors. Children should have their own doctors too”. Dr. Nielson sights as an example a young girl from a local high school volleyball team who tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) a few months ago. After the surgery, which wasn’t performed by an adolescent focused physician, she was given the same kind of treatment you might prescribe for an adult. Almost predictably this young athlete re-injured her ACL and now has to have the procedure performed again.

Aside from the difference between adolescent and adult treatments and preventions, there is also a major difference between boys and girls when it comes to sports injuries. The fact is girls are more susceptible to serious ligament injuries than are boys. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, females are four times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than are males. There are a couple of reasons doctors believe young females are more prone to serious injury. These include the slight differences in bone structure as well as a natural difference in the way they tend to play sports.

As accomplished as Dr. Nielson is in helping youth recover from injury, he obviously would rather see them enjoy athletics without getting injured. Dr. Nielson is a very big advocate of prevention, and is especially sensitive to training the female athlete on how to properly train, stretch and play so as to avoid injury. He notes, “The days of having the whole team stand in a circle and stretch are over.”

A particularly vivid example of why Dr. Nielson is so concerned about prevention was event as he described a young lady who was headed to college on a full ride scholarship to play basketball. She was one week away from finishing her high school sports career when she blew out her knee. Now her future as a college scholar athlete is in serious doubt.

Dr. Nielson spends several hours each month working with coaches from Las Vegas area middle schools, high schools and private club teams on how to avoid serious knee injury. Several dozen teams don’t begin the season without first meeting with Dr. Nielson for a 60 minute training session.

If you are a coach or parent of a young athlete and would like to have Dr. Nielson meet with your team call him at 702-434-6920 . The training session is free to all local youth sports teams.

By Kidz Matter

Self-control is an important skill for all children to learn, and like all life skills, self-control needs to be taught and practiced. Self-control refers to a child having power or control over his or her own actions. As all children are unique and special, their ability to control their emotions and behavior varies greatly. Self-control also means that a child knows right from wrong. Children who do not make choices about their own behavior, but instead rely on others to make choices for them, do not learn self-control. These children may follow others’ bad choices and not learn to take responsibility for the consequences of their behavior. If children learn self-control at an early age, then they will feel better about the choices that they do make.

Teaching your child self-control involves helping them to:

• Think before acting
• Control impulses
• Weigh consequences
• Make safe and acceptable choices

A couple common situations where children find it challenging to control their behavior:

Dealing with wanting something they can’t have – Often, young children are easily upset when their needs or wishes are not met immediately. Many times children do not know how to handle their frustration when told “no” or “later” by a caregiver. Teach them alternatives to getting upset such as;

• Ask again later
• Wait your turn
• Ask to borrow it
• Find something else to do
• Ask to do chores to earn money to buy one

Understanding different feelings or emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared) – In order for children to gain control of their behavior when they are experiencing strong feelings, they must know how to identify their feelings. Talk to your child about how they are feeling. Discuss the situation that just happened and help them learn to express themselves. Linking the situation, their feelings, and their actions together demonstrates how our feelings can affect the choices we make, and it can also improve children’s self-control.

A few tips to help you and your child take the first step in developing self-control:

• Children learn by watching you. How do you behave with family, peers, and in public? Communicate and deal with them calmly, exhibiting your own self-control.
• Establish a clear set of consequences for actions – for both good and poor behavior. Make any punishment for bad behavior known ahead of time, and be consistent with those guidelines.
• Remember to set rewards or praise your child for good behavior, and always follow through.
• Praise them for successfully dealing with a frustrating person or situation. Positive reinforcement is a critical step to establishing the behavior you want from your child.
• Remember that learning self-control is a life-long process!

You can learn more about Kidz Matter at www.mykidzmatter.com .

The City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department is accepting mail-in and online registration for its youth soccer league July 2 through Aug. 15. Online registration can be made at cityofhenderson.com/parks . Drop-off registration is accepted at any City of Henderson recreation center July 30-Aug. 15. Enrollment is $40 per player (ages 5-18), with sibling discounts available. Practices begin the week of Sept. 3.

The City’s youth soccer program is designed to deliver world-class sports team experience for all players. Divisions include co-rec, boys, girls and VIP. The program goals are balanced teams, open registration, positive coaching, good sportsmanship, and everyone plays.

“While the very nature of sports is competitive, we prefer to focus on making the team soccer experience memorable and enjoyable for everyone,” said Kim Becker, spokesperson, City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department. “Every child deserves the opportunity to get out on the field and participate. I think one aspect of our program that makes it exceptional is the caliber of our volunteer youth sports coaches. They give their time and talents and really set a fine example for young athletes in our community.”

Becker said the City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department requires all of its volunteer coaches to undergo an annual background check and fingerprinting, paid for by the department. Additionally, coaches must become certified through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association, which can be done by taking part in one of the training sessions the department offers each youth sports season.

“The majority of our volunteer youth sports coaches are parents too, so they understand and appreciate the importance of background checks and certifications,” said Becker. “Coaching is a commitment, but it is just as rewarding for the coach as it is for the players.”

Adults interested in serving as volunteer youth soccer coaches are welcome to call 702-267-5717 for additional information or visit cityofhenderson.com (type ‘coaches’ in the search box).

With a goal to get one million books to kids in need, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s have joined together to launch Be Book Smart, RIF’s largest customer-supported campaign held at Macy’s stores nationwide. From June 22 – July 31, Macy’s customers can give $3 to help provide a book for a child and get $10 off an in-store purchase of $50. Macy’s will donate 100 percent of every $3 to RIF.

“One million books means opening new doors and providing new opportunities for countless children in Southern Nevada and nationwide,” said Dr. Beverly Mathis, senior community engagement fellow of The Public Education Foundation. “With only one book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods in this country, Macy’s, RIF and all the customers participating in Be Book Smart are making a real and lasting impact with children here in our own backyard.”

“Macy’s support ensures that millions of books get to the right children in neighborhoods across America. Macy’s and their customers are thanked by RIF kids around the country every day,” said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. “We are honored to be partnering with Macy’s again, encouraging communities nationwide to be book smart and helping children turn the page to a brighter future.”

Since 2004, RIF’s partnership with Macy’s has raised more than $21 million to support children’s literacy through customer-supported fundraising campaigns, in-store events and volunteer activities. Additionally, Macy’s is the founding sponsor of RIF’s Multicultural Literacy Campaign, a multi-year initiative to support early childhood literacy in African American, Hispanic and American Indian communities, where reading scores are often the lowest. Macy’s is also a proud supporter of Book People Unite, RIF’s national campaign to spark a movement for children’s literacy and ignite a reading renaissance in America. Clark County READS, the literacy initiative of The Public Education Foundation, is the RIF affiliate for Southern Nevada.