Family Stability, Not Structure, Helps Kids Succeed

Kids who grow up in stable one-parent homes, defined as always living only with the single parent, generally experience the same levels of academic and behavioral success as those in households with two married parents, according to new research. The study, published in the new book, Marriage and Family: Perspectives and Complexities (Columbia University Press), looked at nearly 5,000 mothers and more than 11,000 kids nationwide, focusing on kids of married moms and kids born to mothers who were always single. The results suggest that what’s key for many kids is life in a household where they don’t experience divorce or other changes in parenting, not whether it is a single-parent home or a married home. But there were some differences: Behavioral health and math and reading test scores for White and Hispanic kids from stable single-parent and stable married homes were quite similar, but Black kids living in single-parent homes had lower math and reading test scores than those in married homes, though they did not experience additional behavioral challenges. The takeaway? That family transitions may be more jarring to kids than living in single-parent homes.

Source: Health Insider

Sports-Related Injuries in Children

Inside the Numbers

It is estimated that 3.5 million children under the age of 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year and that almost one-third of all injuries incurred during childhood are related to sports activities, with the most common injuries being strains and sprains. Here are the estimated number of children injured each year by sport:

· Football: 350,000+
· Basketball: 300,000+
· Soccer: 140,000+
· Baseball: 120,000+
· Swimming: 43,000+
· Wrestling: 33,500+
· Gymnastics: 26,500+
· Hockey: 21,000+
· Track and Field: 17,000+

In addition to the health consequences, the financial costs for treating injuries are estimated to be between $3 billion and $4 billion a year. In addition, the impact of childhood sports injuries on the number of school days missed can be significant. The Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine estimates that each year, there are almost 212 million school days missed by students attributable to musculoskeletal injuries, the vast majority of which are sports-related injuries.

Source: Claudia Annig D.C.

Keep the Kids Safe Part 2

An Easy Way to Reduce Injury Risk

Focus on Prevention.

Whether providing prevention education, structural adjustments or ancillary care, your chiropractor has a role to play with young athletes. Chiropractors will typically take more time to assess the injury site, provide appropriate care, and most importantly, recommend/teach how to prevent future injuries. Chiropractors can provide extremity adjusting, stretching and rehabilitation, and even recommend nutritional protocols to help performance and injury recovery.

The larger role the chiropractor can play involves developing a schedule of care for your child that’s not pain – or relief-based only. Your child will definitely benefit from regular spinal and extremity examinations and screenings. Rather then waiting for an injury to take place, why not introduce your young athlete to a proven prevention model that will keep them pain-free and in the game? After all, that’s what it’s all about: keeping them safe and able to participate in the activities they most enjoy.

Source: Claudia Anrig, DC