Available Now via Satellite or Radio phoner interview.
Email us now and you can talk to them -- Baseball's John Smoltz, Heisman
Trophy winner Sam Bradford and Dr. James Andrews, President of the AOSSM:
newsnotification@verizon.net or mradz@dwjtv.com
or Jennifer, Jennifer at 201-315-3070.
*****Attention: News Editors; Medical & Sports Reporters
SATELLITE AND RADIO INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY
April 1, 6:30 to 4:00pm ET
WHAT: Children and Teens Sports Injuries are on the Rise
WHO: Dr. James Andrews, President of the American Orthopaedic Society for
Sports Medicine (AOSSM), can explain why and what can be done about it. He
will be joined on the tour by Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, who
played
quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners before a shoulder injury ended his
college
career, and star baseball pitcher John Smoltz, who had elbow surgery in
2000.
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WALL STREET JOURNAL
* APRIL 1, 2010
Red Flag On Kids, Sports And Injuries
By ROBERT A. GUTH
A group of surgeons and professional athletes this week will detail a
campaign to combat youth sports injuries in the U.S.
Called STOP Sports Injuries, the group says it plans to run public-service
announcements, research children's sports injuries and make recommendations
on injury prevention.
Backers include the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American
Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The group's founder, James Andrews, a Birmingham, Ala., orthopedic surgeon
who treats professional athletes, says, "Youth sports injuries are reaching
epidemic proportions."
Surgeons say the incidence of youth sports injuries is rising. Some of the
increase comes from the growing number of kids who participate in sports.
Another factor is the increasing number of kids who specialize in a single sport
at young ages and who play year-round. "They're putting more stress on their
growing skeletons," says Dr. Peter Millett, a surgeon at the Steadman
Clinic, Vail, Colo. "We're seeing injury patterns that we haven't seen before at
high levels."
Major League pitcher John Smoltz and Sam Bradford, quarterback for
University of Oklahoma and projected No. 1 NFL draft pick this month, are supporting
the effort.
The campaign comes amid growing awareness of head injuries and several
high-profile cases of injured young athletes. A number of state legislatures are
seeking tighter rules over schools' playing fields and courts. The National
Football League's recent policy changes toward concussions and increased media
coverage of NFL players debilitated by concussions also are influencing
legislators. California state legislators next week are set to debate a bill that
would require high-school athletes who've had a concussion to have written
permission from a medical authority before returning to play or practice. The
bill, co-sponsored by California Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, also would
require external defibrillators to be available at games and practices. Virginia
passed a measure in February requiring schools to develop concussion policies
and procedures. Other states, including Connecticut are considering similar
bills.
"There seems to be a lot of national movement on this," says Ross Warren,
chief consultant for the California Assembly's Business and Professions
Committee. In December, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced
legislation outlining guidelines for schools to prevent, diagnose and treat
sports-related concussions. The Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act
would provide states with grants to oversee the work.
The STOP effort will focus on overuse injuries, which account for 50% of
all injuries sustained by middle-school and high-school students during sports,
according to the orthopedic surgeons academy.Starting in 2008, Zach Hall,
now 13 years old, felt a pain in his shoulder when he pitched for his baseball
team near Sacramento, Calif. His father pulled him out of pitching for two
months to rest. The pain returned last year, and his father pulled him out of
the regular season for four months to save his arm for the all-star summer
season. During his time off the mound, Zach played outfield and went to bat but
didn't pitch. This year has been pain free, his father, Scott Hall, says.
"We don't know what caused the pain but we know that rest is what gets rid
of it," Mr. Hall says. "You've got to listen to your kids and give them the
rest."
The STOP effort will face challenges in getting its message heard. The
group will need funding for much of its planned work and will approach private
individuals, foundations and corporate sponsors, Dr. Andrews says. Currently
self-funded, it hopes to raise from $5 million to $10 million from donors.
It also is pushing against a cultural shift in youth sports. From baseball
to volleyball, kids are increasingly trying to attain mastery of a sport by
specializing. That has made certain sports increasingly competitive, further
encouraging kids?backed by parents?to train harder and longer, parents and
sports trainers say.
"There's more emphasis on playing one sport. Because it's so competitive
you almost have to focus on one sport," says Mr. Hall. Dr. Andrews says
orthopedic surgeons are partially to blame for overuse injuries, having focused
largely on developing new surgical techniques but not on promoting prevention.
"We've worked on better ways to fix people?that was our job?but our job is more
extensive than that," he says. "Finally we realized that."
--------------
Available Now via Satellite or phoner interview.
Email us now and you can talk to them:
newsnotification@verizon.net or mradz@dwjtv.com
or Jennifer, Jennifer at 201-315-3070.
