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Children's sports medicine

There was a full page ad for The Children's Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center in Westerville in today's paper. I didn't even know there was such a specialty. According to the ad, "Sports injuries in children and teens now account for at least 40% of all emergency visits." ALL ER visits or just those by children? It does say ALL, doesn't it? Wow. Maybe organized sports isn't so great for children if so many are being injured. Sounds like bullying on the playground might be safer.

The boy in the picture had a stress fracture in his back from pole vaulting. The ad says this facility has the latest in digial x-ray technology, athletic trainers for rehabilitation and specialists in sports medicine for kids.

I remember when I was getting physical therapy for my rotator cuff injury (lifting and shelving heavy journals as a librarian). Except for the mastectomy patients, just about everyone at the rehab center was hooked on a sports activity of some type. I worked out with football and basketball players and people who competed in triathalons, and women who seemed committed to tearing up their shoulders and elbows in tennis tournaments. I hate to sweat and never really could see the advantages of it. Sort of glad now.

The ad for children's sports injuries is sponsored by McDonald's and Nationwide Insurance. Hmmm.