ATSNJ

An NATA video describing the important role athletic trainers play in concussion management of athletes.

Concussion Experts: Athletic Trainers and Concussion from National Athletic Trainers' Assn on Vimeo.

Preventing Little League Elbow

"Little League Elbow" -- is an inflammation of the inner elbow that affects an alarming number of youth baseball players across America. Pitchers are most affected by this injury, which is the result of the excessive stress on the growth plate in a child’s forearm caused by excessive throwing. Children who experience little league elbow often complain of pain on the inside of their elbows and an inability to fully extend their arms.

Here are a few steps you can take to prevent little league elbow before it starts. 

1. Monitor pitch counts. 

•  9-10  year olds should throw no more than 50 pitches per game, or 75 in a week.
• 11-12 year olds should be kept to 75 pitches per game and 100 per week.
• 13-15 year olds should keep their counts under 75 per game and 125 per week.​

​2. Monitor the frequency of  pitching.

The number of times you pitch during the week is also important. Even in the major leagues, starting pitchers throw only once every four days. Rest time should depend on the number of pitches thrown in the last game. For pitchers ages 7-16, pitch counts can be easily broken up into units of 20. For example, 20 pitches or fewer require one day of rest; 20-40 require two days off; 40-60 require three days of rest; and anything above 60 pitches requires a break of at least four days.​

Ice or Heat for Sports Injury

Do you know when to use ice and when to use heat on a sports injury?

Acute and Chronic Injuries

Acute injuries are sudden, sharp, traumatic injuries that occur immediately (or within hours) and cause pain (possibly severe pain). Most often acute injuries result from some sort of impact or trauma such as a fall, sprain, or collision and it's pretty obvious what caused the injury.

Acute injuries also cause common signs and symptoms of injury such as pain, tenderness, redness, skin that is warm to the touch, swelling and inflammation. If you have swelling, you have an acute injury.

Chronic Injuries, on the other hand, can be subtle and slow to develop. They sometimes come and go, and may cause dull pain or soreness. They are often the result of overuse, but sometimes develop when an acute injury is not properly treated and doesn't heal.

Ice

Icing an injured body part is an important part of treatment. Icing injuries can be effective for sprains, strains, overuse injuries and bruises.

It's already the end of March, but Mother Nature simply refuses to allow the springtime weather to take hold in NJ.

With that in mind, people who exercise often forget that exercising in the cold can also present potential health hazards.  Cold weather directly affects the cardiovascular and respitory systems as well as leads to a 5x quicker depletion of glycogen stores, something very important to note when working with the diabetic population.

With this in mind, here are a series of articles on exercising in the cold weather.

Cold Weather Exercise

Cold-related Illnesses and Emergencies

Exposure Injuries