Protecting Young Athletes: How Warming Up Can Prevent Injury When it comes to your child playing sports, you likely already know the importance of hydration, sleep, and proper equipment. But one thing that might not be on your radar—warming up! It’s a small step that could make a big difference in preventing injuries, especially in sports like soccer, basketball, and volleyball where knee and ankle injuries are the most common.1 If you’ve ever seen your child dive for a voll

I am currently an MPH student at Northwestern University studying Community Health Research, and I hope to become a physician who works with young athletes in the future. At 14 years old, I was a level nine gymnast with a broken back. Well, I had stress fractures on the lumbar vertebrae of my low back. Like many other young athletes, I was later diagnosed with "repetitive trauma.” In fact, amongst the many athletes I met during my time as a Big Ten student-athlete, almost all

Lilian Bui is an MD/MPH candidate at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine “Do you wear your helmet when you bike?” I was asked this question during medical school interviews by several pediatricians. As a novice bike rider of only two years, I cannot imagine biking without my helmet, but it was certainly a fair question to ask. According to one study, less than half of adults and children who ride bikes reported always wearing a helmet1. Bicycle-associated in

Youth League: Preventing Injuries Related to Youth Sports Ka'Derricka Davis is a current MPH candidate (2021) and Research Assistant at Northwestern University. She is an aspiring physician who is passionate about women and children's health, injury prevention, and health equity . On Chicago’s West side, the beginning of fall marks the start of public school football season. During that time, I expect to see young people on grassy fields who have improperly stretched for the

Since the stay at home order was issued in Illinois, I've been working remotely. Luckily, my home office is right next to the window. As I look outside, I'm seeing more and more kids riding their bikes. Most of the younger kids are wearing helmets, many of the older ones are not. Everyone and I mean everyone (little kids, big kids, teenagers AND parents) should be wearing one when they're riding. They are a really important safety device and can prevent brain injury in many

Some of my most memorable experiences during middle school and high school came from my time on sports teams. I made rich, lasting friendships with my cross country and track teammates and developed a love for fitness that continues today. For other student-athletes, however, their participation in sports teams can have a different, more serious, lasting impact: traumatic brain injury (TBI). Traumatic brain injury is caused by trauma to the head that disrupts normal function

Bike-sharing programs are popping up across the country as a fun and heart-healthy way for Americans to get to work, school, and play. But while bicycles are an excellent and environmentally-friendly way to get around, they also require proper equipment to be operated safely: helmets! Helmets help to prevent the most serious consequences of bike-related injuries. In fact, studies show that helmets reduce the rates of head injury, traumatic brain injury, and even death in both

With funding from the Kohl's Cares, the Lurie Children's Institute for Sports Medicine is pleased to offer this free online version of the Knee Injury Prevention Program (KIPP) for Coaches, a tool to help coaches reduce the risk of knee injuries in their female adolescent athletes. KIPP for Coaches is a 15-minute neuromuscular warm-up routine of strengthening exercises, plyometrics, balance training, agility drills, and active stretching. KIPP for Coaches was launched in 2006