What all parents need to have in their medicine cabinet for handling minor and major mishaps. Lots of words can describe kids. "Naturally exuberant," "naturally active," and "naturally curious," are three phrases that Ken Haller, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, chooses to use.
Natural excitement and curiosity are normal and healthy parts of development, but they present special challenges for child safety. Children don't usually spend much time thinking about how to stay safe and healthy. That's mom and dad's job. While scrapes and bruises are also a normal part of childhood, there are more serious threats, such as poisoning and burns. Keeping key first-aid supplies handy for common injuries is a great first step in a child safety plan.
Child Safety: The Top 10 First-Aid Essentials
1.Your local poison control number. Almost 80 percent of reported poisoning cases involve children, and most of those are among children age 5 and under. Haller recommends placing the phone number for your local poison control center in your medicine cabinet and on your refrigerator, and programming it into your cell phone. "The centers are open 24 hours a day and have a nurse on call who can tell you exactly what to do after you describe the situation," Dr. Haller says. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in a life-threatening emergency situation, dial 911. If the victim is awake and alert, you can call your local number or the national hotline, 1-800-222-1222.
2.Pain relief medication. Child safety choices include acetaminophen (Tylenol) and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). Monitor children's dosages carefully. For instance, if they're sick with a cough and congestion and you've already given them a medicine with acetaminophen (like a cold remedy), you don't want to give them another dose of Tylenol at the same time.
3.An assortment of bandages. A two-inch-square sterile gauze pad can clean almost any wound, says Haller. In addition, have adhesive-free dressings, other sizes of sterile pads, or a roll of gauze for minor burns or kneecap scrapes. Tape and strip bandages in a variety of sizes work for cuts and blisters, and an elastic wrap like an Ace bandage is effective for sprains.
4.Soap for clean-up. "For most wounds, cleaning with soap and water is good enough," says Haller. Always wash a wound before dressing it. You might also want to have an antiseptic solution or towelettes handy, and rubbing alcohol, which Haller says makes a good disinfectant.
5.Antibiotic ointment. Choose today's gold standard, Polysporin, or the old standby, bacitracin. For a large open wound on a frightened young patient, you can put the ointment on the bandage pad, instead of directly on the injury.
6.Tweezers. Essential for the removal of splinters or dirt particles from a cut or puncture wound, tweezers should be wiped with alcohol before using. If possible, have both a pointed tip and a slanted tip pair.
7.Itch relief. Choose a few different formats to cover all itchy bases. Calamine lotion is still a soother for poison ivy and the like. Over-the-counter (OTC) hydrocortisone cream is great for dermatitis-type skin rashes and irritations, while an OTC antihistamine like Benadryl (a cold symptom and nasal allergy mainstay), is handy for an itchy initial reaction to a wasp or bee sting. If your child breaks out in hives and has any throat swelling, signs of a serious allergic reaction, call your doctor immediately.
8."Instant" ice packs. These disposable packs don't need to be kept frozen and are literally a snap to use to reduce swelling after an injury.
9.A tooth-preserving storage device. Should one of your child's permanent teeth get knocked out by accident, a product like Save-A-Tooth will hold and protect it on your way to the dentist, improving the chances of it being replanting.
10.A sterile eye wash. This is handy to flush out any dirt or foreign particles that get into the eyes.
Child Safety: What to Toss
Here are a few medicine chest items that can be cleared out to make room for the top 10 child safety items:
Ipecac (a poison treatment). "Ipecac is not recommended anymore," says Haller. Not only can ipecac cause a number of side effects, it can also make the damage of certain harsh poisons worse. Each poison affects the body differently and needs a different treatment approach.
Neosporin. This antibacterial ointment may cause redness or inflammation and has been largely abandoned in favor of Polysporin or bacitracin.
Aspirin is not recommended for children, unless specifically directed by your physician, because of the risk of a condition called Reye's syndrome.
Expired products. Check your medicine cabinet every three months and get rid of products that have reached their expiration date. "It's not that they become toxic, but that the components break down, so they're simply no longer effective," Haller explains. "If you notice that your product is only past the date by a week or so and you need it right then, go ahead and use it. Just make a mental note to replace it soon." This advice goes for both over-the-counter and prescription items.
Taking time to ensure child safety is important. With a carefully thought-out shopping list and a trip to your favorite drugstore, you can easily outfit your medicine cabinet for most of life's little bumps along your child's road to discovery.
By Connie Brichford
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD
Showing posts with label children injuries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children injuries. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Soccer Season: Prime Time for Foot & Ankle Injuries
When soccer season is in full swing parents and coaches are strongly urged to think twice before coaxing young, injury-prone soccer players to “play through” foot and ankle pain.
In skeletally immature kids, starting and stopping and moving side to side on cleats that are little more than moccasins with spikes, is a recipe for foot and ankle sprains and worse. Kids will play with lingering, nagging heel pain that, upon testing, can turn out to be a stress fracture that can be very serious. By playing with pain, they can’t give their team 100 percent and they make their injuries worse, which prolongs their time out of soccer.
Symptoms of stress fractures include pain with activity, redness, and swelling with possible bruising. Treatment usually involves rest and sometimes casting. Some stress fractures heal poorly and can require surgery.
The constant running associated with soccer can place excessive stress on developing bones. Pain from overuse often stems from inflammation around the growth plate of the heel bone. The growth plates to the heel are still open and bones are still growing and maturing until children are about 13 to 16 years old. Rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications and, in some cases, immobilization of the foot normally relieve this type of heel pain. Custom inserts can be helpful in kids with recurrent heel pain of this type.
Other types of overuse injuries are Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis (heel pain caused by inflammation of the tissue extending from the heel to the toes). Quick, out-of-nowhere ankle sprains are also common to soccer. If the ankle stays swollen for days and is painful to walk or even stand on, it could be a fracture. Ankle injuries should always be evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist to assess the extent of the injury.
In skeletally immature kids, starting and stopping and moving side to side on cleats that are little more than moccasins with spikes, is a recipe for foot and ankle sprains and worse. Kids will play with lingering, nagging heel pain that, upon testing, can turn out to be a stress fracture that can be very serious. By playing with pain, they can’t give their team 100 percent and they make their injuries worse, which prolongs their time out of soccer.
Symptoms of stress fractures include pain with activity, redness, and swelling with possible bruising. Treatment usually involves rest and sometimes casting. Some stress fractures heal poorly and can require surgery.
The constant running associated with soccer can place excessive stress on developing bones. Pain from overuse often stems from inflammation around the growth plate of the heel bone. The growth plates to the heel are still open and bones are still growing and maturing until children are about 13 to 16 years old. Rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications and, in some cases, immobilization of the foot normally relieve this type of heel pain. Custom inserts can be helpful in kids with recurrent heel pain of this type.
Other types of overuse injuries are Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis (heel pain caused by inflammation of the tissue extending from the heel to the toes). Quick, out-of-nowhere ankle sprains are also common to soccer. If the ankle stays swollen for days and is painful to walk or even stand on, it could be a fracture. Ankle injuries should always be evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist to assess the extent of the injury.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Popular Flip-Flop Sandals Linked to Rising Youth Heel Pain Rate
Many of us wear flip-flop sandals throughout the year; however, their popularity among teens and young adults is responsible for a growing epidemic of heel pain in this population.
We’re seeing more heel pain than ever in patients 15 to 25 years old, a group that usually doesn’t have this problem. A major contributor is wearing flip-flop sandals with paper-thin soles everyday to school. Flip-flops have no arch support and can accentuate any abnormal biomechanics in foot motion, and this eventually brings pain and inflammation.
Wearing sandals with reasonably strong soles and arch support is recommended. Especially for girls and young women, thicker soled sandals with supportive arches might not be considered stylish, but if you want to wear sandals most of the time, you’ll avoid heel pain if you choose sturdier, perhaps less fashionable styles.
It is estimated that 15 percent of all adult foot complaints involve plantar fasciitis, the type of heel pain caused by chronic inflammation of the connective tissue extending from the heel bone to the toes. Tight calf muscles and wearing inappropriate footwear are common contributing factors.
The pain is most noticeable after getting out of bed in the morning, and it tends to decrease after a few minutes and returns during the day as time on the feet increases. Not all heel pain, however, is caused by plantar fasciitis. It also can occur from inflammation of the Achilles tendon, bursitis, arthritis, gout, stress fractures, or irritation of one or more of the nerves in the region. Therefore, diagnosis by a foot and ankle specialist to rule out other causes is advised.
Initial treatment options for heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis should include anti-inflammatory medications, padding and strapping of the foot and physical therapy. Patients also should stretch their calf muscles regularly, avoid wearing flat shoes and walking barefoot, use over-the-counter arch supports and heel cushions, and limit the frequency of extended physical activities.
Most patients with plantar fasciitis respond to non-surgical treatment within six weeks. However, surgery is sometimes necessary to relieve severe, persistent pain. To find out what is happening with your child feet don’t wait to see your foot specialist at Central Kansas Podiatry Associates today.
We’re seeing more heel pain than ever in patients 15 to 25 years old, a group that usually doesn’t have this problem. A major contributor is wearing flip-flop sandals with paper-thin soles everyday to school. Flip-flops have no arch support and can accentuate any abnormal biomechanics in foot motion, and this eventually brings pain and inflammation.
Wearing sandals with reasonably strong soles and arch support is recommended. Especially for girls and young women, thicker soled sandals with supportive arches might not be considered stylish, but if you want to wear sandals most of the time, you’ll avoid heel pain if you choose sturdier, perhaps less fashionable styles.
It is estimated that 15 percent of all adult foot complaints involve plantar fasciitis, the type of heel pain caused by chronic inflammation of the connective tissue extending from the heel bone to the toes. Tight calf muscles and wearing inappropriate footwear are common contributing factors.
The pain is most noticeable after getting out of bed in the morning, and it tends to decrease after a few minutes and returns during the day as time on the feet increases. Not all heel pain, however, is caused by plantar fasciitis. It also can occur from inflammation of the Achilles tendon, bursitis, arthritis, gout, stress fractures, or irritation of one or more of the nerves in the region. Therefore, diagnosis by a foot and ankle specialist to rule out other causes is advised.
Initial treatment options for heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis should include anti-inflammatory medications, padding and strapping of the foot and physical therapy. Patients also should stretch their calf muscles regularly, avoid wearing flat shoes and walking barefoot, use over-the-counter arch supports and heel cushions, and limit the frequency of extended physical activities.
Most patients with plantar fasciitis respond to non-surgical treatment within six weeks. However, surgery is sometimes necessary to relieve severe, persistent pain. To find out what is happening with your child feet don’t wait to see your foot specialist at Central Kansas Podiatry Associates today.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
High Heeled Summer Shoes and Boots Are Dangerous Year Round
Year round women wear fashionable high-heeled shoes. These 3-6 inch heels put women at risk for slips, falls, and injuries. These high heels are popular shoes they typically feature tall, spiked heels and narrow, pointed toes. Wearing high-heels makes you more unstable when walking or standing on dry surfaces. A stylish low-heeled summer shoe is a lot more fashionable than a cast and crutches. It is recommended that women scuff-up the soles of any new shoes or boots, or purchase adhesive rubber soles, to provide greater traction.
Falls from high-heeled shoes can lead to a number of injuries, depending on how the woman loses her balance. If her ankle rolls inward or outward, she can break her ankle. If her ankle twists, ligaments can be stretched or torn, causing ankle sprain.
Women injured from slips and falls in high-heeled shoes or boots should contact Central Kansas Podiatry Associates for prompt evaluation and treatment. In the meantime, immediately use the “R.I.C.E.” method – rest, ice, compression and elevation – to help reduce swelling, pain and further injury.
Delaying treatment can result in long-term complications such as chronic ankle instability and pain, arthritis, or deformity. Even if one is able to walk on the injured foot, pain, swelling, or bruising indicates a serious injury.
Falls from high-heeled shoes can lead to a number of injuries, depending on how the woman loses her balance. If her ankle rolls inward or outward, she can break her ankle. If her ankle twists, ligaments can be stretched or torn, causing ankle sprain.
Women injured from slips and falls in high-heeled shoes or boots should contact Central Kansas Podiatry Associates for prompt evaluation and treatment. In the meantime, immediately use the “R.I.C.E.” method – rest, ice, compression and elevation – to help reduce swelling, pain and further injury.
Delaying treatment can result in long-term complications such as chronic ankle instability and pain, arthritis, or deformity. Even if one is able to walk on the injured foot, pain, swelling, or bruising indicates a serious injury.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Top 10 First-Aid Essentials for Child Safety
What all parents need to have in their medicine cabinet for handling minor and major mishaps.
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD Print Email Lots of words can describe kids. "Naturally exuberant," "naturally active," and "naturally curious," are three phrases that Ken Haller, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, chooses to use.
Natural excitement and curiosity are normal and healthy parts of development, but they present special challenges for child safety. Children don't usually spend much time thinking about how to stay safe and healthy. That's mom and dad's job. While scrapes and bruises are also a normal part of childhood, there are more serious threats, such as poisoning and burns. Keeping key first-aid supplies handy for common injuries is a great first step in a child safety plan.
Child Safety: The Top 10 First-Aid Essentials
1. Your local poison control number. Almost 80 percent of reported poisoning cases involve children, and most of those are among children age 5 and under. Haller recommends placing the phone number for your local poison control center in your medicine cabinet and on your refrigerator, and programming it into your cell phone. "The centers are open 24 hours a day and have a nurse on call who can tell you exactly what to do after you describe the situation," Dr. Haller says. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in a life-threatening emergency situation, dial 911.
2. Pain relief medication. Child safety choices include acetaminophen (Tylenol) and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). Monitor children's dosages carefully. For instance, if they're sick with a cough and congestion and you've already given them a medicine with acetaminophen (like a cold remedy), you don't want to give them another dose of Tylenol at the same time.
3. An assortment of bandages. A two-inch-square sterile gauze pad can clean almost any wound, says Haller. In addition, have adhesive-free dressings, other sizes of sterile pads, or a roll of gauze for minor burns or kneecap scrapes. Tape and strip bandages in a variety of sizes work for cuts and blisters, and an elastic wrap like an Ace bandage is effective for sprains.
4. Soap for clean-up. "For most wounds, cleaning with soap and water is good enough," says Haller. Always wash a wound before dressing it. You might also want to have an antiseptic solution or towelettes handy, which Haller says makes a good disinfectant.
5. Antibiotic ointment. Choose today's gold standard, Polysporin, or the old standby, bacitracin. For a large open wound on a frightened young patient, you can put the ointment on the bandage pad, instead of directly on the injury.
6. Tweezers. Essential for the removal of splinters or dirt particles from a cut or puncture wound, tweezers should be wiped with alcohol before using. If possible, have both a pointed tip and a slanted tip pair.
7. Itch relief. Choose a few different formats to cover all itchy bases. Calamine lotion is still a soother for poison ivy and the like. Over-the-counter (OTC) hydrocortisone cream is great for dermatitis-type skin rashes and irritations, while an OTC antihistamine like Benadryl (a cold symptom and nasal allergy mainstay), is handy for an itchy initial reaction to a wasp or bee sting. If your child breaks out in hives and has any throat swelling, signs of a serious allergic reaction, call your doctor immediately.
8. "Instant" ice packs. These disposable packs don't need to be kept frozen and are literally a snap to use to reduce swelling after an injury.
9. A tooth-preserving storage device. Should one of your child's permanent teeth get knocked out by accident, a product like Save-A-Tooth will hold and protect it on your way to the dentist, improving the chances of it being replanting.
10. A sterile eye wash. This is handy to flush out any dirt or foreign particles that get into the eyes.
Child Safety: What to Toss
Here are a few medicine chest items that can be cleared out to make room for the top 10 child safety items:
• Ipecac (a poison treatment). "Ipecac is not recommended anymore," says Haller. Not only can ipecac cause a number of side effects, it can also make the damage of certain harsh poisons worse. Each poison affects the body differently and needs a different treatment approach.
• Neosporin. This antibacterial ointment may cause redness or inflammation and has been largely abandoned in favor of Polysporin or bacitracin.
• Aspirin is not recommended for children, unless specifically directed by your physician, because of the risk of a condition called Reye's syndrome.
• Expired products. Check your medicine cabinet every three months and get rid of products that have reached their expiration date. "It's not that they become toxic, but that the components break down, so they're simply no longer effective," Haller explains. "If you notice that your product is only past the date by a week or so and you need it right then, go ahead and use it. Just make a mental note to replace it soon." This advice goes for both over-the-counter and prescription items.
Taking time to ensure child safety is important. With a carefully thought-out shopping list and a trip to your favorite drugstore, you can easily outfit your medicine cabinet for most of life's little bumps along your child's road to discovery.
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD Print Email Lots of words can describe kids. "Naturally exuberant," "naturally active," and "naturally curious," are three phrases that Ken Haller, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, chooses to use.
Natural excitement and curiosity are normal and healthy parts of development, but they present special challenges for child safety. Children don't usually spend much time thinking about how to stay safe and healthy. That's mom and dad's job. While scrapes and bruises are also a normal part of childhood, there are more serious threats, such as poisoning and burns. Keeping key first-aid supplies handy for common injuries is a great first step in a child safety plan.
Child Safety: The Top 10 First-Aid Essentials
1. Your local poison control number. Almost 80 percent of reported poisoning cases involve children, and most of those are among children age 5 and under. Haller recommends placing the phone number for your local poison control center in your medicine cabinet and on your refrigerator, and programming it into your cell phone. "The centers are open 24 hours a day and have a nurse on call who can tell you exactly what to do after you describe the situation," Dr. Haller says. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in a life-threatening emergency situation, dial 911.
2. Pain relief medication. Child safety choices include acetaminophen (Tylenol) and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). Monitor children's dosages carefully. For instance, if they're sick with a cough and congestion and you've already given them a medicine with acetaminophen (like a cold remedy), you don't want to give them another dose of Tylenol at the same time.
3. An assortment of bandages. A two-inch-square sterile gauze pad can clean almost any wound, says Haller. In addition, have adhesive-free dressings, other sizes of sterile pads, or a roll of gauze for minor burns or kneecap scrapes. Tape and strip bandages in a variety of sizes work for cuts and blisters, and an elastic wrap like an Ace bandage is effective for sprains.
4. Soap for clean-up. "For most wounds, cleaning with soap and water is good enough," says Haller. Always wash a wound before dressing it. You might also want to have an antiseptic solution or towelettes handy, which Haller says makes a good disinfectant.
5. Antibiotic ointment. Choose today's gold standard, Polysporin, or the old standby, bacitracin. For a large open wound on a frightened young patient, you can put the ointment on the bandage pad, instead of directly on the injury.
6. Tweezers. Essential for the removal of splinters or dirt particles from a cut or puncture wound, tweezers should be wiped with alcohol before using. If possible, have both a pointed tip and a slanted tip pair.
7. Itch relief. Choose a few different formats to cover all itchy bases. Calamine lotion is still a soother for poison ivy and the like. Over-the-counter (OTC) hydrocortisone cream is great for dermatitis-type skin rashes and irritations, while an OTC antihistamine like Benadryl (a cold symptom and nasal allergy mainstay), is handy for an itchy initial reaction to a wasp or bee sting. If your child breaks out in hives and has any throat swelling, signs of a serious allergic reaction, call your doctor immediately.
8. "Instant" ice packs. These disposable packs don't need to be kept frozen and are literally a snap to use to reduce swelling after an injury.
9. A tooth-preserving storage device. Should one of your child's permanent teeth get knocked out by accident, a product like Save-A-Tooth will hold and protect it on your way to the dentist, improving the chances of it being replanting.
10. A sterile eye wash. This is handy to flush out any dirt or foreign particles that get into the eyes.
Child Safety: What to Toss
Here are a few medicine chest items that can be cleared out to make room for the top 10 child safety items:
• Ipecac (a poison treatment). "Ipecac is not recommended anymore," says Haller. Not only can ipecac cause a number of side effects, it can also make the damage of certain harsh poisons worse. Each poison affects the body differently and needs a different treatment approach.
• Neosporin. This antibacterial ointment may cause redness or inflammation and has been largely abandoned in favor of Polysporin or bacitracin.
• Aspirin is not recommended for children, unless specifically directed by your physician, because of the risk of a condition called Reye's syndrome.
• Expired products. Check your medicine cabinet every three months and get rid of products that have reached their expiration date. "It's not that they become toxic, but that the components break down, so they're simply no longer effective," Haller explains. "If you notice that your product is only past the date by a week or so and you need it right then, go ahead and use it. Just make a mental note to replace it soon." This advice goes for both over-the-counter and prescription items.
Taking time to ensure child safety is important. With a carefully thought-out shopping list and a trip to your favorite drugstore, you can easily outfit your medicine cabinet for most of life's little bumps along your child's road to discovery.
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