OTRF spring newsletter looks at Little League guideline compliance, introduces a new functional capacity test following shoulder Bankart surgery, shoulder replacements and research in the news
Spring is finally here! However, I began thinking about it during our frigid winter. As you and your family return to outside activities and sports, I want to emphasize the importance of letting children play sports for the fun of it and as a form of exercise. Having them focus on a single sport year-round can increase the risk for injury. Research continues to bear this out and as a result, organizations such as Little League and park districts are changing their guidelines. We looked into what’s happening, particularly in Little League, and our summary starts on page two. Overuse injuries unfortunately have been increasing in youth sports. As parents, coaches and sports medicine specialists, we have to do our part to help prevent injuries. We also need to make sure that if they suffer an injury, they follow a safe and gradually progressive return to play protocol.
Are you dreading or reconsidering your participation in activities because of shoulder pain? Or, did you injure it and have been putting off seeing an orthopaedist? If so, check out our article on shoulder replacement surgery and how it won’t keep you on the bench. I think you will find it interesting to see how technology and surgical options have changed and improved people’s lives.
As long as I’m on the topic of shoulders, the OTRF Health Performance Team and I developed a new program we’re testing to determine when it is safe to return to activities and sports after arthroscopic Bankart/labral surgery following a shoulder dislocation. We are optimistic the results of the study will validate the test so physicians will have a more definitive tool to assess the risk for re-injury and when it is safe to return to sports.
If you’d like to be added to the OTRF mail list to receive Active Bones, please email your request to contactus@chudikmd.com/. Past issues of the newsletter are available on the OTRF website at http://www.otrfund.org/e-newsletter/.
Dr. Steven Chudik is the president and founder of the Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Teaching & Research Foundation (OTRF), a board certified and fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon and a sports medicine specialist with the Steven Chudik MD Shoulder, Knees and Sports Medicine Clinic with offices in Westmont and Western Springs, Ill. OTRF is a nonprofit, 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to funding research and education for the purpose of keeping people active and healthy. If you are interested in learning more about OTRF, volunteering, or wish make a contribution to help OTRF continue its mission, please contact Dr. Chudik at contactus@chudikmd.com, or visit the website, http://www.otrfund.org/e-newsletter/ and click on the donation link.
Thank you for your interest in our newsletter, Active Bones, and the ongoing work of OTRF.
