Pediatric Points: Winter Sports Safety

Pediatric Points
Winter Sports Safety
Well, with the turkey gobbled up, the holiday lights being hauled down from the attic and (for better or worse) snow on the way, at least in my neck of the woods, the time seems about right to talk about winter sports safety. Whether your kids are boarders or skiers, sledders or skaters, there are measures you can take to ensure their sport stays fun and minimize the occurrence of injury. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that a total of more than 100,000 skiing and snowboarding injuries were treated in emergency rooms around the country in 2010. The most obvious and important recommendation for winter sport safety is that all children should wear properly fitting helmets. From my own
To minimize these injuries, equipment should be fitted and adjusted properly. Ski shop personnel who are familiar with outfitting kids can be consulted. And wearing wrist guards can help minimize sprains to the wrist. Sledding also has its share of injuries: an average of 20,000 a year according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Boys aged 10 to 14 sustained the most injuries, with broken bones being the most common finding. To minimize the danger, children should be sitting upright in their sleds, feet first, not lying on their bellies going head first down the hill. Safe sledding also means the hill shouldn’t end in a body of water or a road of any kind, even a not-so-busy one. Ideally parents should be available to supervise the sledding, watching for over-crowding and recklessness. Sleds with runners and a steering mechanism are safer than tubes or toboggans. With any winter sport, injuries related to the cold weather and wind are a concern. Hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) occurs faster in children than in adults and occurs more frequently when children get wet. It is important to dress children warmly in layers as well as to make sure their outer layers are waterproof. Hats should be worn underneath helmets, and mittens keep hands warmer than gloves. And don’t forget the
Winter sports use lots of energy and it’s important to keep children hydrated, especially if they are skiing at higher elevations. In recent years, more has been learned about the dangers of the sun on growing children’s eyes. The lenses of children’s eyes are clearer than adults, allowing for greater penetration of the sun’s rays and thus potentially more damage. In many winter sports, the sun is further reflected off the snow, increasing the need for protection. Too much sun exposure can cause cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye. In choosing sunglasses for children, go for those that protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound-style glasses afford 5% more protection than glasses that only sit in front of the eyes. And make sure the glasses aren’t just tinted. This can be worse for the eyes than not wearing sunglasses at all because the tinted environment causes the pupils to dilate, letting in more damaging UV rays. There are lots of fun family activities that can keep kids active and healthy. With some extra planning and attention, hopefully we can also keep them safe. Carolyn Roy-Bornstein is a practicing pediatrician and author of the new memoir CRASH!, which is now available. You can read more of her work at www.carolynroybornstein.