…AND EVERYTHING ELSE Dr. Maria Halluska-Handy, a board-certified emergency physician now specializing in non-operative orthopedic care with Bucks County Orthopedic Specialists in Doylestown, Pa., says some of the biggest factors in increased risk for sports injuries are the very fatigue and repetitive use that stem from “four seasons of soccer.” Tendinitis. Hairline fractures. Concussions from collisions. Athletes put themselves at a higher risk for injury when they are doing too much, too soon, and without the requisite rest and recovery time. “Football, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby. Overall, those are the highest-risk sports,” says Dr. Halluska-Handy. “But the highest overall numbers of people who get concussions are actually playing girls soccer, and that’s because you have the highest number of participants. Most catastrophic is cheerleading. You’re throwing people up in the air without any kind of head protection. The physics of that couldn’t be more devastating.” Dr. Halluska-Handy explains that a child or adolescent is not simply a little adult, but another entity altogether. Their brains are different in that they are still growing and developing, their joints are more flexible, and their bones are more “plastic.” They more often have “greenstick fractures,” in which the bone doesn’t break all the way through, the way a young tree branch can be bent and snapped but not broken. The options for treatment and manage-
ment are therefore also different for adolescents. One patient recently seen by Dr. HalluskaHandy had a wrist injury from skateboarding, with pronounced swelling and a deformity of the wrist. Dr. Halluska-Handy ended up doing a hematoma block, in which the anesthetic is injected directly into the fracture site to provide the
local pain management during manipulation of the fracture. “He handled it like a champ,” she adds. “I am frequently amazed by how well kids can tolerate procedures that will make adults cringe.” In terms of symptoms that should precipitate an urgent doctor or emergency room visit, Dr. Halluska- Handy looks for simple things: “Is there
obvious deformity (bent at a weird angle)? Can you move the part of the extremity below the level of the injury (usually fingers or toes)? Can you feel them? Are they numb or tingly? Is the color and temperature normal? Or is there just extreme pain? In terms of head injury, is there dizziness, nausea, or lightheadedness? Is the pain so severe that it’s disrupting sleep? If so, then, we need to take a look,” she says. “Just in general, be aware of overuse syndrome. Making sure kids get adequate rest physically and mentally is half the battle to avoid injuries in the first place. Make sure they’re appropriately hydrated. Manage chronic medical conditions — have asthma inhalers up-to-date, for instance. And have an overall idea of when to seek more urgent medical attention. “And this is going to be a really bad year for ticks that carry Lyme disease,” Dr. Halluska-Handy adds. “So don’t forget to keep checking for them well into the fall season.”
where young women lead
MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL
open house Saturday, September 30, 2017 9:30-11:15 a.m. Catholic, independent school | All-Girls 7-12 | www.oakknoll.org | Summit, NJ | 908-522-8109
SEPTEMBER 2017
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