Nutrition Tips for Dancers

Nutrition Tips for Dancers

by | Aug 19, 2020 | Sports Medicine

Mix it Up

With long practices or multiple sessions a day of different intensities, the young dancer should be sure to include a variety of fuel sources, including protein, carbohydrate and healthy fats in meals and snacks.

  • Protein, carbohydrate and fat are all considered macronutrients. They are the nutrients that provide our bodies with energy.
  • Different intensities of training use different macronutrients for fuel.

Spread it Out

While dance is considered one of the sports that values leanness, it’s important to remember that the young dancer is still going through growth and development that requires extra energy and nutrition. Plus, they are expending extra energy for their sport. Make sure your dancer is getting three balanced meals a day and at least a couple of snacks.

Start Out Right

If your young dancer has trouble eating before a practice or competition, try snacks containing simpler carbohydrates about 30 to 45 minutes before the event. These snacks are easily digested and provide energy for the upcoming event. Snacks ideas include:

  • Fruit
  • Pretzels
  • Crackers
  • Plain mini bagels
  • Small juice or sports drink

Add a Snack

Your dancer might need a pre-event snack if he or she:

  • gets dizzy or light-headed during practice.
  • gets shaky during practice.
  •  is having trouble concentrating.
  • complains of fatigue during practice.

Pack a Lunch

When packing lunch for a long day of practice, mix up items from these categories:

  • Carbohydrates: bread, pasta, quinoa, rice, fresh fruit, potatoes, winter squash, peas, beans, yogurt, milk
  • Protein: turkey, chicken breast, lean ground beef, chicken or turkey, eggs, tofu, beans, yogurt, milk
  • Veggies: greens, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, mushrooms, squash, brussels sprouts, etc.
  • Healthy fats: nuts, seeds, nut or seed butter, olive oil, vegetable oils, avocado, salmon and tuna

End it Right

After a long and intense practice, the best snack is one that provides:

  1. carbohydrate to refill depleted energy stores in the muscle.
  2. protein to repair any damaged tissues.
  3. fluid to rehydrate the body.

For the best recovery, aim to get this snack within 30 to 45 minutes after practice.

Change it Up

A dancer’s nutrition plan and needs will not be the same every day. Remember that needs change based on length and intensity of training sessions. Needs on the day of a performance may not be the same as needs on a day of summer intensives.

Emergency Action Plan: Why It Is Important For Your Child’s Sports Organization To Have One

Emergency Action Plan: Why It Is Important For Your Child’s Sports Organization To Have One

by | Aug 3, 2020 | Sports Medicine

Shane M. Miller, M.D., thinks that every organization that values the health and safety of its athletes should have an emergency action plan. Miller, a pediatric sports medicine physician at Scottish Rite for Children, was invited as a guest expert in a conversation about emergency action plans (EAP) on a recent Healthy Young Athlete Podcast.

Miller’s expertise and experience as a sports medicine physician, team doctor, former firefighter and emergency medical technician and, as a parent and coach of his kids’ teams, together give him perspective in this conversation. He says, “Responding to emergency calls is very different at a school or venue that has an EAP in place vs. others where chaos can cause delays in accessing emergency medical care.”

What is an EAP?
It is a comprehensive detailed written plan that prepares for medical, environmental and security emergencies. It is developed and coordinated with local EMS, venue officials, medical personnel and organization administrators.

Why do you need one?
Fortunately, the majority of injuries we see in our sports medicine practices are relatively minor. Musculoskeletal injuries like ankle sprains and fractures or overuse injuries such as knee pain or stress fracture are more common, but catastrophic injuries and emergencies do occur. These may include cardiac events, severe neck or spinal cord injuries and exertional heat stroke.

What is covered in an EAP? 

EMERGENCY TEAM Who is involved when the plan is activated and what role each plays. This may include leaders in the organization (director/administrator), athletic trainer, team physician, etc. IT also addresses the training requirements for those roles – CPR, AED, first aid, concussion recognition or management. If no medical personnel present, who takes charge?

EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT, STATUS AND LOCATION 
For example, an automatic external defibrillator is only helpful if it is easy to find, charged, stocked with appropriate pads and readily accessible. Make sure personnel or attendees know where to find first aid supplies or a STOP THE BLEED® kit. 

COMMUNICATION Organized contact information for local emergency response systems including “9-1-1” and the address of the facility improves response time for calls. Additionally, a plan should include important people to contact in case of an emergency (athletes’ emergency contacts (parents), leaders of organization, medical team, etc..

MAPS Finding an injured athlete quickly requires access to venue-specific information including address, directions, maps, field numbers, location of gates and locks/keys, access points for emergency responders.

ROLES OF FIRST RESPONDERS Clearly defined personnel roles who provide first aid, equipment access and retrieval, calling EMS, directing EMS to the scene, removing equipment etc. 

TRANSPORT PLAN Local emergency facilities may or may not accept traumatic injuries. Collaborate with local EMS to decide and communicate where an injured athlete will be taken and how. 

DOCUMENTATION Record-keeping plans for all emergencies and near-emergencies and debrief discussions and findings. This helps with clearly documenting what occurred and provides information to help improve for the future. 

Making youth sports a safe experience is on the minds of many health care professionals, parents and coaches. An EAP is not a new idea, but unfortunately, may be new to some organizations. Don’t hesitate to speak up for safety and share these ideas with your children’s sports organizations.
Listen to a recording of the podcast hosted by Miller’s peer, Mark Halstead, M.D.

Need some more information? Check out these resources:

  • The Inter-Association Task Force Document on Emergency Health and Safety: Best-Practice Recommendations for Youth Sports Leagues I Learn more
  • National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Emergency Planning in Athletics I Learn more
  • USA Recognize to Recover I Learn more
Ellen’s Healing Process is Going Swimmingly

Ellen’s Healing Process is Going Swimmingly

by | Jul 30, 2020 | Sports Medicine

Ellen has always been a competitive person, especially in the pool. “Even when I first started swimming competitively in sixth grade, I would tell myself that no matter who was in the lane next to me, I was racing against them,” says Ellen. That fierce competitive spirit has always pushed her to be the best she can be in all that she does. When an injury forced her out of the pool and into surgery, Ellen competed with herself to be her best at physical therapy to get back to doing what she loves.

Ellen-swimming-2-(1).jpg

When Ellen was 9, her favorite sport was soccer. After an injury on the field, she began swimming for physical therapy. She returned to soccer once she had recovered, but Ellen quickly went back to the pool because she realized how much she loved swimming. “I could tell Ellen was a natural swimmer from the second she hopped into the pool,” says Ellen’s mother, Bonnie. Ellen swam with a local club team in Southlake, the North Texas Nadadores, for a couple of years until pain began to slow her down. She spent about a year in and out of the pool, visiting different doctors, but there wasn’t a definite diagnosis until they visited Scottish Rite for Children.
Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Henry B. Ellis, M.D., diagnosed Ellen with labral tears in her hips. “Labral tears are not commonly associated with swimmers, but we are seeing more and more of this, and they may be underreported,” says Ellis. In addition, Ellis explains that hip impingement and labral tears like Ellen’s primarily occur in adults, but our team is seeing it more in young athletes. “We initially treated Ellen’s injury with physical therapy while trying to balance in-water training with cross-training and dryland exercises. Eventually, she took a break from swimming for a short time to help with the pain.” 

In some kids, like Ellen, non-operative treatment doesn’t allow the labral tears to heal. Because of this, Ellis and his team proceeded with surgery to fix the labrum and address the bone around the hip to prevent it from happening again. 

Ellen returned to physical therapy the day after her surgery. It was tough at first, but her competitiveness kept her motivated. “There was another kid about her age that was doing physical therapy at the same time, and Ellen was quietly competing with her in her head,” says Bonnie. “We worked with several physical therapists. We found that God provides what you need at the right time. We had perfect people for the different stages of healing that she was going through.” As physical therapy continued, Ellen joined the Grapevine Faith Christian School swim team. Just 13 months after her second surgery, she qualified for the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) State Swim meet. She swam in the medley relay and individually in the 200 breaststroke.

Ellen says that she has learned a lot from her experiences. “I think, most of all, I learned that God has a plan for my life. Even when I didn’t understand why I was in so much pain, I grew in other areas and realized I could do more than sports,” she says. Ellen also loves art, and this experience has helped her to figure out her art style. “She’s being pretty humble when she says she loves art. She was at the VASE (Visual Arts Scholastic Event) regional art competition and qualified for state. She ended up winning a Gold Seal at the state competition, which is the highest ranking!” says Bonnie joyfully.

Ellen is now training with her team, and she is excited to swim in her junior year, but she also wants to continue with her art. “It’s been good to do something different since I used to just swim all the time,” she says. “That balance is good.” Ellen encourages other young athletes to find that balance and not to rush their physical therapy. “Be determined, but don’t hurt yourself from trying too hard, because that’s kind of what I did. I tried pushing through it, and it just made it worse. I’m not back to swimming as many hours a week as I used to yet, but I’m definitely healed.”

Bonnie shares that they loved their time at Scottish Rite. “The care and the love shown by everyone was amazing. As a mom, when the doctor looks straight at your child and really talks to them and takes the time to get to know them as a whole person, it makes the experience incredible.” Ellen adds, “Dr. Ellis was really good about telling me what was going on instead of just telling my parents. He helped me understand why we were doing all the things like injections and physical therapy, and why everything needed to happen, and he told me about how my surgery was going to be.”

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Get to Know our Staff: Jane S. Chung, M.D.

Get to Know our Staff: Jane S. Chung, M.D.

by | Jul 20, 2020 | Sports Medicine

Where did you go to college? Medical school? 
College: University of California, San Diego
Medical School: St. George’s School of Medicine 
 
What is your role on the sports medicine team? How does your role overlap or differ from an orthopedic surgeon?  
I am a non-operative pediatric sports medicine physician. I treat sports injuries that do not require surgery. 

Why did you want to become a doctor? Have you always wanted to work in pediatrics?
The seed was planted during mission’s week in my fourth grade Sunday school class, when a missionary pediatrician from Burkina Faso shared her story and work. In college, I traveled to Nairobi, Kenya on a medical mission trip with my church and worked at a hospital helping young children, which solidified my passion for working with kids and the field of medicine.
 
Is there anything you want parents/kids to know about sports safety or returning to sports during/after COVID?
As with any return to play or return to sport following a prolonged period of rest and inactivity, it is important to take a slow and gradual approach to safely re-introduce the body back to activity.
What led you to Scottish Rite for Children? 
I’ve worked at Scottish Rite for about four and half years now. The people and values of the institution are what led me here. The well-being of patients and families always come first. It is amazing to work with a like-minded team that also shares a similar passion to advance pediatric orthopedic medicine through research.

What are your specialties? 

How do you help your patients feel comfortable and confident? 
My belief is to treat the whole child, not just their physical injuries. It is important to also treat their emotional and mental well-being and health.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Working with young athletes to help them get back to their sport. 

What was your first job?
Working at a local surf shop in California.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you:
I don’t cook, but my husband enjoys cooking, so it works out well!

What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
Spending time outdoors with my husband and our rescue dog. My husband and I also enjoy traveling the world and finding new spots to surf.

Keeping Up With the Count – Among other clinical and injury prevention interests, Chung works closely with a multi-disciplinary team providing patient care and content for young dancers.

Health and Wellness for Young Athletes: Don’t Skip Routine Visits with the Pediatrician

Health and Wellness for Young Athletes: Don’t Skip Routine Visits with the Pediatrician

by | Jul 15, 2020 | Sports Medicine

Our team is just as excited as you are to see youth preparing to return to sports and want to ensure they do so as safely as possible. It is important that young athletes do not skip routine well visits and follow-ups with their pediatrician, particularly during these times. Staying on top of age-appropriate immunizations and vaccines are also very crucial. 

You may have heard that the UIL has adjusted the pre-participation evaluation requirements for returning to sports the 2020-21 school year due to challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. So, even though the UIL may allow some athletes to participate without a physical exam this season, we encourage young athletes to be evaluated by their primary care provider who knows them and can identify sport-related and non-sport-related concerns. Jane S. Chung, M.D., sports medicine physician, says, “In this unprecedented time with athletes taking an extended time off from training and away from school and friends, we have additional concerns to consider.”

Mental health concerns – In a survey of young athletes, our team found that young, single-sport athletes are at a higher risk of reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety during the pandemic. Don’t let early signs of mental health conditions go unnoticed. Your pediatrician can help you evaluate your child’s symptoms and needs.

Deconditioning – Children and teens also reported to have dropped their activity levels from pre-pandemic times. Athletes need guidance to safely ramp up training and conditioning as they prepare to return to sports.

Old injuries or lingering issues – Proper evaluation and treatment of new or lingering signs or symptoms of injuries or complaints could save your athlete from additional time away from their favorite sports.

Learn about injury risks – Guidance for individual, sport-specific or general injury prevention can help an athlete stay focused on appropriate activities in the down time.

A sports physical may be seen as an inconvenient task, delayed until the last minute or provided in a silo without consideration of other needs of the growing athlete. Like all health care providers, pediatricians are taking appropriate precautions to keep your family safe during a visit. Remember, the evaluation is intended to assess the ability of the athlete to play sports safely and should be taken seriously. Parents should complete medical forms with the child to ensure accuracy of family and medical histories. And, when possible, the evaluation should occur at least six weeks before the pre-season training begins to allow time to treat conditions/further evaluations, if needed. If the pediatrician has concerns about a lingering injury, a referral to a pediatric sports specialist will help create a plan to get your child back on the field safely.

Healthy Fats to Fuel the Young Athlete

Healthy Fats to Fuel the Young Athlete

by | Jul 10, 2020 | Sports Medicine

Sometimes fats can get a bad rap. They’re higher in calories, have a longer digestion time and are often associated with weight gain and adverse health effects. These factors make them a nutrient that athletes may often try to avoid. While it is true that the wrong fats can have negative health effects, it’s important to remember that healthy fats are still crucial in a young athlete’s diet. Follow along as our dietitian gives a run-down of why a young athlete needs fat and what kinds of fat a young athlete needs.

Meeting Increased Energy Needs
Young athletes not only burn additional calories with training and events, but they also burn a higher number of calories during accelerated periods of growth and development. That can be a lot of calories burned in one day! When athletes limit their intake of dietary fat, it can also put them at risk of not meeting their daily energy needs for growth, development and performance. We recommend including sources of healthy fats each day to ensure energy needs are being met*. This can be especially helpful if the athlete is going through a growth spurt and struggling to maintain his/her weight.

Include these sources of healthy fats to increase energy intake:

  • Include nuts and seed on your yogurt
  • Add peanut butter to apple slices or a banana
  • Add sliced avocado to a turkey sandwich
  • Use guacamole as a dip for whole grain crackers
  • Dip carrot sticks in hummus

* Remember that fat is digested more slowly and can interfere with performance if eaten right before an event. Plan fat-containing meals & snacks with adequate time before events.

Brain Health & Development
Did you know that approximately 60% of the brain is fat? The majority of this 60% is made up of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. The body needs these healthy fats for optimal brain development and cognitive function, both important for academic and sport performance.  
Include these sources of omega-3’s for optimal cognitive function and development:

  • Salmon for lunch or dinner
  • Tuna on a salad for lunch or dinner
  • Sprinkle flaxseed over oatmeal for breakfast or a snack
  • Enjoy omega-3 fortified eggs for breakfast

Proper Growth & Development in the Young Female Athlete
With so much focus on carbohydrate and protein in a sports diet, fat can get pushed to the side, especially in aesthetic sports such as ballet, gymnastics and figure skating. This can also be seen in sports such as long-distance running or cycling where it benefits the athlete to be lean. However, inadequate fat intake, especially in a young female athlete can lead to delayed onset of menstruation, which can cause short and long-term consequences on the athlete’s health. While fat requirements for each athlete are unique, a certain amount of fat does need to be present in the sports diet. If concerned about the adequacy of your young athlete’s sports diet, seek guidance from a sports dietitian who can plan meals tailored to his or her unique needs.