Coaches serve in a unique role to oversee health and safety with their athletes especially when traveling with the team to sporting events. If there is no athletic trainer to take charge in prevention or management of injuries, the coach will need to assume that role. Coaches should understand the importance of their role and know how to implement…

The improvement and mastery of balance has been considered an important motor-skill concept for children in the past and incorporating new dynamic balance routines in the curriculum could lead to positive outcomes in children's motor development. This article describes dynamic balance routines and drills that can be used as a unit to promote…

Everyone has an aunt or grandfather or other relative who can tell when the weather is changing because his or her joints start to ache or an old injury begins to hurt. This column provides background science information for elementary teachers. This month's issue focuses on three major weather factors and how they affect the human…

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an epidemiologic surveillance system that was established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help monitor the prevalence of behaviors that not only influence youth health, but also put youth at risk for the most significant health and social problems that can occur during…

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an epidemiologic surveillance system that was established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help monitor the prevalence of behaviors that not only influence youth health, but also put youth at risk for the most significant health and social problems that can occur during…

Iliotbial band syndrome (ITBS) is an overuse injury that affects distance runners and produces a large amount of frustration (and pain) to the runner, coaches and trainers. Treatments for ITBS vary widely and no known cures exist. Many running experts and physicians have prescribed several variations of training programs designed to help runners…

Safety concerns are among the first considerations in the design and implementation of any curriculum. However, in the dynamic worlds of physical education and coaching, athletic injuries will inevitably arise, regardless of the proactive strategies in place. These situations will vary in nature, and the student's or athlete's risk of further…

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an epidemiologic surveillance system that was established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help monitor the prevalence of behaviors that not only influence youth health, but also put youth at risk for the most significant health and social problems that can occur during…

Sports offer so many benefits to kids, from fun and fitness to responsibility and teamwork skills. With sports also come bumps and bruises--and one type of injury requires much more than an ice pack or a band-aid. Head trauma is one of the most common injuries sustained by young athletes, with more than 60,000 concussions occurring each year in…

For the author, the concept of wound care has always been a challenging topic to demonstrate. How to teach the concept without having a student in need of wound care or without having to spend money to buy another simulation manikin/model? The author has recently created a simulation to demonstrate and practice the cleaning, closing, and dressing…

This article describes a challenge wherein students will be asked to design a portable first aid kit that is normally carried in a recreational vehicle (RV), but can also be hand-carried or backpacked off road for distances of approximately 1-2 miles. This can be a very practical challenge for the students because it touches everyone. Everybody…

Increasing physical activity among America's youth is critical in helping to combat chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Therefore, finding the right sporting activities for the youth is important, as is making appropriate biomechanical adjustments or behavior modifications that create a safer means of participation. In this article, the…

"Ergonomics" is a body of knowledge about human abilities and limitations and how these abilities and limitations should be applied to the design of equipment, machinery, and other devices to ensure safe, comfortable and effective use. Most homes and schools today are equipped with computers for student use. Backpacks have become the…

Performance-related injuries are a potential problem for musicians of any age and skill level. Music educators should take whatever steps they can to ensure that their students aren't injured in rehearsal or performance, but part of their job is also serving as an example for students to follow. How can teachers avoid injury to themselves "and"…

The risk of injury in musicians has been well established over the past twenty-five years. Concerns about the risk of becoming injured have been increasingly present in the music world. Research in performing arts medicine has demonstrated that approximately 25 percent of music students experience a playing-related injury. Since musicians'…