Vitamin D, Muscle Function, and Exercise Performance
Vitamin D has an important role in skeletal muscles. Previously recognized for its effects on bone, it is now known that vitamin D has a much wider spectrum of usefulness…
Medical and Orthopedic Conditions and Sports Participation
The presence of certain medical or orthopedic conditions need not preclude adolescents from being physically active and participating in sports. The benefits of continued physical activity far outweigh any concerns…
Managing the Adolescent Athlete with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Providing safe and successful diabetes management assistance and advice to an adolescent athlete is a challenging task. It should also be a rewarding task. To make accurate and useful recommendations…
Stress Fractures: Diagnosis and Management in the Primary Care Setting
Stress fracture represents an overuse injury of the bone resulting from excessive repetitive stress. Diagnosis in most cases is based on clinical evaluation. Plain radiographs may show characteristic changes 2…
Analgesics and Anti-inflammatory Medications in Sports: Use and Abuse
Both acute and overuse musculoskeletal injuries are common in adolescent athletes. Pharmacologic agents including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and topical over-the-counter agents have been shown to be effective in controlling…
Sport Participation by Physically and Cognitively Challenged Young Athletes
Many physically and cognitively challenged athletes participate in organized and recreational sports. Health benefits of sport participation by athletes with disabilities have been well recognized. A careful preparticipation evaluation and…
The Application of Osteopathic Treatments to Pediatric Sports Injuries
The application of manual techniques to pediatric athletic injuries has been considered alternative medicine. There are many injuries that are associated with loss of normal motion. Altered biomechanics can be…
Sports Doping in the Adolescent: The Faustian Conundrum of Hors De Combat
The drive toward success in sports and the need for a cosmetically acceptable appearance have driven many adolescents to take a wide variety of so-called doping substances. The consumption of…
Gene Doping: The Hype and the Harm
“Gene doping” is the term used to describe the potential abuse of gene therapy as a performance-enhancing agent. Gene doping would apply the techniques used in gene therapy to provide…
The Adolescent Female Athlete: Current Concepts and Conundrums
The adolescent female athlete has become a common part of the sports environment at all levels from childhood play to professional adult sports. This article considers various issues common to…
