A Parent’s Guide to Contact Sports for Kids

A Parent’s Guide to Contact Sports for Kids

by | Nov 18, 2024 | Sports Medicine

Contact sports can be exciting for young athletes and parents alike. They also introduce an element of danger into the exercise equation. 

Any time a person participates in a physical activity, there’s a risk of injury. However, engaging in contact sports magnifies that risk. If your child participates in this type of athletic activity, following the proper safety precautions is critical.

What’s Considered a Contact Sport?

In a contact sport, players come into physical contact with each other or an object as part of the competition. There’s a risk of contact in nearly all sports, but the risk is higher in some than others. 

In basketball and soccer, for example, children are likely to knock into others athlete as they jockey for the ball. When they’re rebounding, taking a shot or defending on the basketball court, they’re in close contact with others and can accidentally (or otherwise) touch them lightly or with force.

Other sports have an even higher risk of contact. Some sports, such as ice hockey, football and lacrosse, involve techniques that have kids actively running into or making contact with an opponent. Making contact is not incidental in these sports. It is intentional. For that reason, this sports category is sometimes called “collision sports.”

While most contact sports are team sports, some contact is involved in solo activities, such as gymnastics. In that case, an athlete makes contact with the floor or an apparatus rather than a person.

How to Keep Your Child Safe in Contact Sports

To protect your young athlete on the court or field, begin with these basics, which can reduce the risk of sports injuries:

●      Get a sports physical. This specialized medical checkup helps ensure your child is healthy enough to participate in a sports activity. It’s a good idea to have your child have a sports physical before each season, even if their school or team does not require one.

●      Buy the proper protective gear. Every sport has specific equipment, so check with your child’s coaches to see what’s required and recommended. Depending on the sport, this may include a helmet, knee pads, shin guards, padding or a mouthguard.

●      Be sure your child learns the correct technique. Many sports injuries in contact sports occur because somebody incorrectly performed a move. Emphasize that your child should use proper form and follow the rules of the sport.

●      Mix things up. Overuse injuries are common among athletes, particularly young athletes who are still growing and developing. Encourage your child to participate in multiple sports or physical activities that use different parts of the body, which will lower the risk of overusing a specific muscle or joint. Overuse injuries can reduce your child’s range of motion and limit their ability to play at their best.

In addition to these tips, talk with the coaches or even the athletic trainer about other steps you can take to keep your child safe while playing contact sports. There is some risk, but you can also do many things to mitigate that risk.

The Scottish Rite for Children sports medicine team is committed to keeping kids healthy and in the game. Call 469-515-7100 to schedule an appointment with one of our sports medicine specialists.

Bryce’s Treatment is a Home Run

Bryce’s Treatment is a Home Run

by | Sep 30, 2024 | Sports Medicine

Header image courtesy of Eddie Kelly/ProLook.

When an injury threatened to keep Bryce off the baseball field for nine months, he and his family turned to Scottish Rite for Children to get him back in the game.

Bryce has always loved baseball. “I’ve been playing baseball pretty much ever since I could walk and get a ball in my hand,” he says. His mother, Johnette, first saw glimpses of Bryce’s outstanding athletic ability when he was 4. “When the other team was batting, it didn’t matter where Bryce was playing, he would go all over the field to get the ball,” she says. “He was kind of like a one-man-team.” Bryce started pitching when he was 8, and Johnette saw a drive and a passion that were unlike what she saw in other young athletes. When Bryce became a teenager, he played on select baseball teams, and he spent several summers traveling for games. Bryce’s drive and determination paid off his freshman year at McKinney High School when he made the varsity baseball team.

Like many star athletes, Bryce played several sports, and enjoyed football when he wasn’t playing baseball. Sport diversification can help prevent injuries caused by overuse, but unfortunately contact injuries are harder to prevent. In his junior year, he and his team had made it to the second round of the playoffs. During practice, to get ready for the big game, Bryce went for a block and, after contact, felt his arm go completely numb. “I thought it was just some bumps and a bruise because it’s football,” says Bryce. “So, I played that second round, and played every snap on offense and felt fine, but it turns out, it wasn’t too great.” The day after the game, he and a friend went to the baseball field to throw the ball around, but Bryce quickly realized that there was a problem. “I couldn’t even throw the ball five feet, because it was hurting so bad,” he says. 

Bryce had sustained a labral injury to his shoulder, which likely occurred when he subluxated (shoulder almost dislocated) or possibly dislocated (shoulder completely out of the socket) his shoulder. When the shoulder joint is injured this way, it can cause damage to the structures around the joint, including the labrum. The labrum is a ring of cartilage around the socket part of the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. When torn, the labrum is commonly thought to need surgery, but not always. 

Bryce,-MVP-(1).jpg

Initially, Bryce was told that surgery was necessary in order to return to sports and may take as long as nine months. This news devastated Bryce, so when his parents returned, they turned to the Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center for another opinion. Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Henry B. Ellis, M.D., reviewed Bryce’s files and MRI, and felt that they could get him back to baseball with physical therapy instead of surgery. He felt with proper rehabilitation (physical therapy) and allowing enough time to allow the labrum to heal, Bryce could avoid a surgery and possibly be back to baseball sooner. However, this did mean that Bryce would have to give his shoulder enough time to heal before throwing a ball again.

Though encouraged by the option to avoid surgery, Bryce remembers being a little shocked at how difficult physical therapy was from the start. “It kind of killed my confidence a little bit and frustrated me, because I’ve always played a lot of sports and I always want to be the best that I can be. But once I saw improvement in how my body and my shoulder felt, I finally started getting back my confidence, so it was good.” Scottish Rite coordinated with the McKinney High School athletic trainers on a program to get Bryce back on the field as soon as possible.

Bryce was cleared to play in February, right before the team began preparing for the upcoming season. After all the hard work he had put into building back his shoulder, he was very excited to be with his team again. They were glad to have him back too – in Bryce’s first week back, he hit three home runs. Things were going great until COVID-19 forced an early end to the season. “All this is a little different,” says Bryce. “It’s like a curveball being thrown at us. But you just have to adapt and be able to adjust and focus on what you are there for.”

Bryce has complete confidence in his shoulder now. “I feel like I can do anything and everything that I’ve always been capable of doing,” he says. “If it wasn’t for Scottish Rite, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” Bryce recently verbally committed to play baseball at Northeast Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and plans to continue his journey to Major League of Baseball.

Bryce is very grateful to Dr. Ellis. When others were recommending surgery, Ellis presented the pros and cons of a nonoperative plan. Bryce says he learned a lot from his experience. “When you go through hard times, you always have to keep your head straight and focus on the main goal, because you are going to go through ups and downs, but you just have to focus on the end result, and that was big for me. Not focusing on the negatives, but on getting back to where I needed to be.”

 

Has your child been seen in the Sports Medicine clinic here? Fill out this form to tell us about your MVP. 

Nico is Spreading His Wings!

Nico is Spreading His Wings!

by | Sep 9, 2024 | Clubfoot & Foot Disorders

3-year-old Nico, of Mission, and his family travel more than 500 miles to receive treatment at Scottish Rite for Children. “We make that effort to come this far, because it’s worth our drive,” Nico’s mom, Mary says. Nico was diagnosed at birth with clubfoot and arthrogryposis — a rare condition that causes stiff joints. Mary found comfort in the arthrogryposis support groups she found online. Her conversations with other families led her to schedule an appointment for Nico at Scottish Rite.

Nico receives care from our experts in hand, clubfoot, occupational therapy and orthotics. Even when he’s facing a challenge, Nico’s joyful personality shines. He is always greeting and waving at everyone he meets at Scottish Rite. “I think Nico is going to grow up to be an entertainer,” Mary says. “He is such a social butterfly!” 
When surgery was proposed as part of Nico’s treatment plan, Mary felt assured. “We were always confident about surgery,” Mary says. “The outcomes our care team told us were always what we received.” Nico has had two surgeries to combat his arthrogryposis: an Achilles lengthening surgery on both legs in 2022 and a wrist surgery in 2023. 

Nico has made remarkable progress, and there is no stopping him now! Mary says she is thankful to Dr. Scott Oishi and Dr. Anthony Riccio for their attentive care. With their help, Nico can now walk by himself. He’s also working with occupational therapists Amy Sitabkhan and Grace Evansco to develop more independence by learning daily tasks such as eating and clothing himself. “I wish I could take Scottish Rite’s occupational therapists back home with us,” Mary says. “Everyone is so helpful, and we are so blessed.”

We like to say all our patients become part of the Scottish Rite family. For Nico, this is especially true. He and his family are now part of our Hand in Hand support group, and it’s been so fun to watch Nico come out of his shell. We look forward to seeing everything he accomplishes in the future!

 

Do you have a story? We want to hear it! Share your story with us. 

A Fab Collab With By Way of Dallas – Building Connection by Changing the Conversation

A Fab Collab With By Way of Dallas – Building Connection by Changing the Conversation

by | Aug 29, 2024 | Prosthetics & Orthotics

Cover story previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2.
 
by Kristi Shewmaker
 
Hance Taplin is a connector. In 2011, he founded By Way of Dallas to connect both sides of U.S. Highway 75 through conversation sparked by streetwear that he creates. “I use the apparel as a vehicle,” Hance says. “When we do popups, my goal is to see a Highland Park mom converse with a South Dallas high school football player while waiting in line for the same product — two different people, celebrating Dallas.” His mission is to bring people together, despite their differences, by giving them something to talk about. And now, he is doing it at Scottish Rite for Children.

Last fall, By Way of Dallas and Scottish Rite joined forces to launch a movement about movement, where fashion meets function. For decades, Scottish Rite has created custom, state-of-the-art prostheses for children of all ages, and now, they bear artwork designed by By Way of Dallas artists, athletes and influencers. The list includes Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and photographer Jeremiah Jhass, Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks, artist Temi Coker, and sports and comedy group Dude Perfect to name a few.

“Instead of the narrative being, ‘That’s Johnny who has a prosthetic leg.’ I want it to be, ‘Yo! Did you see Johnny’s leg? It’s so cool!’” Hance says. “Now, the conversation is changing.” Instead of differences separating people, whether that be through age, race or disability, Hance and his crew are creating art that builds connection and community.

“We all have our own prostheses within us,” Hance says, “but through art, we can connect and understand that we’re just like each other. Through this collaboration, we can show people how art and community and culture and innovative design can converge and really make a difference.”
 
Now, patients at Scottish Rite for Children who need a prosthesis can choose a By Way of Dallas design that speaks to them. Owen, Elena and Miles are a few of the first to sport their designs and start their own conversations.

Owen

“Owen has always been a social butterfly,” Amanda says about her 17-month-old son. “He is very active and loves crawling around and climbing up onto everything. We have fun seeing how he adapts and does things his own way.”

Amanda learned about Scottish Rite’s collaboration with By Way of Dallas through a post on Instagram. The collaboration launched shortly before Owen underwent amputation surgery on his right leg.
 
“At my 20-week prenatal anatomy scan, my doctor said that they couldn’t find Owen’s foot,” Amanda says. Later, a maternal fetal medicine doctor saw it but noticed that it was severely curved upward. It was not until Owen was born and referred to Scottish Rite for Children that he was diagnosed with tibial hemimelia, a condition in which a child is born with no tibia or one that is too short. Owen’s tibia was short, and he did not have a functioning ankle joint. In his case, the choice was to amputate or undergo many reconstructive surgeries throughout his life that may not have led to mobility.

“We wanted Owen to have every opportunity to run, jump, play, try different sports, dance — whatever interest he may develop,” Amanda says.
 
“It was difficult to get the diagnosis but a relief to have a clear path forward. Knowing that we were in one of the best places in the country to have to go through this, immensely added to our relief.”

A few months after surgery, Owen received a prosthetic leg with Hance Taplin’s design. Amanda was drawn to the pattern and bold colors. “I chose it because my husband was born and raised in Dallas,” she says. “It was a beautiful way to memorialize the landmarks, and it’s a cool testament to being in Dallas.”

She explained that she used to work for a British fabric company where they collaborated with brands who used their fabrics. “When I saw what By Way of Dallas was doing for these kids — taking the device and turning it into a conversation piece, but not about their disability, but about the artwork — I thought it was amazing,” she says. “I was excited that Owen’s first prosthesis would have this cool story behind it.”

Today, Owen is learning how to use his prosthesis. He stood up on his own for the first time. “We love showing off his tiny prosthetic leg,” Amanda says. “Rather than, ‘Oh my God, what happened to you?’ I want him to feel seen. The collaboration with By Way of Dallas is meaningful to us because Owen will be seen for something other than his limb difference.”

Elena

P-R-O-S-T-H-E-S-I-S. Prosthesis is a big word to spell on the board of an elementary school classroom, but that is exactly what Elena and her mother, Brittany, did the first week of school each year. “We talked about Elena’s prosthetic leg and gave the children an opportunity to ask questions,” Brittany says. “After answering their questions, the kids moved on. Then, she was just Elena.”
 
 A 12-year-old sixth grader from Temple, Elena loves to play brain games, like sudoku, and basketball in the backyard. Recently, she tried out and made the seventh grade cheerleading squad. “We’ve already started practicing after school,” she says.

Since age 3, Elena has had more than a dozen prosthetic legs as she has grown. “When we adopted her, her leg was locked at a 90 degree angle,” Brittany says. “We assumed we’d get her home and straighten it out, but you can’t just straighten out a leg that’s been locked in place for two and a half years.” Through a friend, the family discovered Scottish Rite for Children. “Elena had five major surgeries and got her leg within the first year,” Brittany says. After healing from surgery, Elena underwent physical therapy to learn how to walk with her prosthesis. “All of a sudden, she was upright, off and running,” Brittany says. “It was miraculous to watch.”
 
Now, Elena has two prostheses — an everyday walking leg and a sport leg that she uses for cheer. Shortly after the By Way of Dallas collaboration had begun, she had outgrown her prostheses and needed new ones. After reviewing the patterns, Elena chose artist Temi Coker’s design for her everyday leg, and she let Brittany select the design for her sport leg. Brittany chose Hance Taplin’s art, and Elena approved wholeheartedly.

On delivery day, Temi came to Elena’s appointment to meet her personally. “It was cool to see the person who designed my leg,” Elena says. “I told him, ‘The design is basically me in a leg.’ It’s very colorful, with this color here, that color there and all over the place.”
 
Elena kept the rest of her family in suspense until she got home to make the big reveal. “I like a surprise, and my sisters were like, ‘Show me, show me, show me!’” she says. Brittany added that her friends at school were also excited to see the By Way of Dallas designs.
 
Like her elementary school days, Elena still gets questions about her limb difference, but Brittany says that she has grown into the ability to answer them. They agree, it is better to ask than to stare. “I don’t remember having a real leg,” Elena says. “This is how it’s been for nine years of my life, so it’s kind of normal for me. Most of the time, it’s just me — Elena.”

Miles 

“Miles doesn’t know the words, ‘I can’t,’” says his mother, Angela. “He has always used the phrase, ‘I haven’t been able to yet.’”

An 11-year-old from College Station, Miles was born with symbrachydactyly, a condition that occurs when a child’s arm or hand does not fully develop. Miles is missing his left hand and forearm. His pediatrician referred the family to Scottish Rite for Children where he was diagnosed. “He was born exactly how he was supposed to be born because he has been able to teach so many people how to love other people better,” Angela says.
 
Miles grew up without a prosthesis, adapting in his own way to a life full of activities. He likes to draw and solve the Rubik’s cube. He finished his first season of basketball, and he loves swinging from the monkey bars at a ninja warrior gym. But, he wanted to achieve a move called the lache, where you swing from one bar, which is further than the length of your body, to reach the next bar. “He didn’t have the extra wingspan to hook his arm on the bar,” Angela says. “After trying for years, he was like, ‘I need something to help me reach that bar.’”

Cue prosthetist Dwight Putnam, who was delighted to not only build Miles’ first prosthetic arm but also to fit him with a customized hand attachment that could grasp the bar, making the lache a reality. When it came time to select a pattern, Dwight noticed that Miles was wearing a Dude Perfect hat and showed him their By Way of Dallas design. “The only YouTube video group Miles watches and is obsessed with is Dude Perfect,” Angela says. “The pattern was meant for him.”

 

At Miles’ next appointment, Dude Perfect walked into the room and presented the arm. “I was very surprised and extremely happy,” he says. Angela said that he was so proud, he wore it to school the next day, walking with a little extra swagger. In response to his new arm, Miles says, “A lot of people ask where I got it, say it’s really cool and try to figure out a way to try it on.”

Recently, Miles competed on FOX’s MasterChef Junior, which gave him the opportunity to combine two more passions — cooking and advocating for children with limb differences. “It means so much that I get to represent kids with limb differences, that they get to see someone like them,” Miles says. “But, I think it’s actually more important for people not like us, because we know what we can do. It’s everyone else that doubts us and tells us we can’t. I hope I’m able to show kids and everyone watching that their limb difference doesn’t have to limit them from doing really big and amazing things!”


Learn more about the By Way of Dallas Collaboration.

Read the full issue.

Get to Know our Staff: Juliane Gresens, Registered Nurse

Get to Know our Staff: Juliane Gresens, Registered Nurse

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Spotlight

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?
I am the charge nurse for pre-op and the post anesthesia care unit in the surgery department.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
I start the day by getting the kids ready for surgery, making sure we have adequate staffing, and the needs are met for patients, families and our team. I am also responsible for the patients heading to recovery and discharge. I function as a resource for everyone mentioned above, to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite?
My first job was a messenger for a law firm in Rochester, NY. Coming to Scottish Rite for Children was meant to be for me. I made a joking challenge with my daughter that I could get a job here if I wanted it (we were on the website and talking about how she wanted to work here someday.) So, I filled out the application and was granted an interview for a PACU position. The director at the time offered me a job the very same day! One of the best career decisions I have ever made!

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
I love my patients and their families as well as the members of our team.

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know?
It is a perfect fit for me. I get to take care of patients and my work friends when needed. I am a nurturing type of person so it’s perfect! 

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
Israel. We went last year, and it was so fascinating to walk the streets of places I have only heard about!

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
I like to run and have successfully completed a few marathons. I also love to watch anything where someone I personally know is playing, and I love to watch the Olympic Games.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
I’m pretty happy right where I am!

What’s one fun fact about yourself?
I have six grandchildren and I am the fun grandparent (we try not to get into too much trouble with their parents!)