What child doesn’t love summer? School’s out, the weather is warm, and every day is playtime.
But as much fun as summer is for your child, it is also a season fraught with potential injuries, especially if your child participates in sports or other outdoor activities.
To protect your child this summer, you must first be aware of the five most common summertime injuries. These include:
- Playground Injuries – Longer days mean more time spent on swings, slides, monkey bars, and other playground equipment. It’s easy for kids to fall and hurt themselves, even if the equipment is well maintained. Make sure you supervise your child’s playground activities to help prevent any mishaps.
- Bicycle, Skateboard, and Inline Skating Injuries – Kids are more likely to be out biking and skating during the summer and are more likely to sustain broken bones, concussions, scrapes, cuts, and other injuries. For their safety, make sure your child wears a helmet that fits properly and other protective gear such as knee and elbow pads. A helmet alone can reduce the risk of a head injury by 85 percent. Also, train your child to beware of cars and do not allow them to ride at night.
- Swimming Pool Injuries – What better way to beat the summer heat and get plenty of exercise than by swimming in your own or a neighborhood pool? Nevertheless, statistics show that children are more likely to drown in a swimming pool than a natural body of water, so precautions must be taken. Make sure your child is always under adult supervision when swimming – at least within arm’s reach when they’re in the water. The area around your own pool should be kept clean – so no one accidentally falls into the water – and you should use a fence or a cover to prevent children from swimming without supervision. Also, to avoid the risk of a spinal cord injury, do not allow your child to dive into the shallow end of the pool.
- Trampoline Injuries – Although jumping on a trampoline is fun, a trampoline is one of the most hazardous toys a child can have, especially if more than one child is allowed to use it at a time. That’s because most trampoline-related injuries are the result of one person accidentally colliding with another.
- Car Injuries – These are among the leading causes of death and permanent disability among children age five and up. To protect your child on summer excursions or even during local road trips, use age-appropriate child safety seats. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these seats result in a 71 percent reduction in infant injuries and a 54 percent reduction for toddlers. The safest spot for a child younger than 13 years old is in the middle of the back seat and, of course, seat belts are absolutely necessary.
If you or your child is suffering from pain as the result of an injury, you need to consult a reputable, board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon who can educate you about your options. The staff at Orthopaedic Associates utilizes both cutting-edge therapies and traditional treatments to address a variety of painful conditions. For more information, or to schedule a consultation, call (440) 892-1440.