Nursing Beyond the Vital SignsNursing Beyond the Vital Signs


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Nursing Beyond the Vital Signs

Nursing is so much more than simply popping a thermometer in a patient's mouth or recording a blood pressure. In my time as a nurse, I have participated in life saving efforts when time was critical, I have held a mother's hands when her newborn baby was being prepped for surgery, and I have looked into the terrified eyes of an elderly person in pain. Nurses literally go into battle, serving in military operations all over the world. They also learn and implement the latest in medical technology. This blog is to highlight nurses and prove that they deserve respect and appreciation for all that they do.

Avoiding Injuries During Your Child's Sports Season

Every season offers a new opportunity to participate in a sport. With this, your child runs the risk of getting injured while being active. You can expect some bruising and scraping for any type of sport, but you don't want to put them in a situation where they could really get hurt. Statistics show that about 1.35 million youths a year suffer from a serious injury while playing sports. This can be scary watching your child suffer in pain. This can not only have them sitting on the bench for the remainder of the season, but it could also have permanent side effects depending on the injury. In order to keep this from happening, here are some tips to help you avoid injuries so your kids can have fun. 

Schedule Their Exercise Wisely

Early afternoon tends to be the hottest part of the day. This is when you should avoid having your child exercise because they can quickly suffer a heat related illness. In fact, 2 out of 3 kids show up for practice dehydrated according to the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association. When your child shows up dehydrated and then pours all their effort into working out, they can quickly get overheated. By having your child work out during cooler times of the day, you can avoid having them become overly exhausted--even when dehydrated. It is always important to make sure your child is drinking plenty of fluids, especially water before and after working out. 

Have Them Learn the Proper Forms

Even naturally athletic people cannot expect to go into a new workout and accomplish it without practice. It takes time to learn a new skill, and kids run the risk of injury if they don't learn the fundamentals. By learning the breakdown of a move your child can avoid many strains that often come with improper technique. For instance, if your teen is just starting to lift weights for team conditioning, he or she needs to learn how to keep their back in alignment, how to keep their chest out, and how to use full range of motion.

Don't expect too much from your child at the beginning. If you see them struggling, you may want to hire them a physical therapy instructor that is going to make sure they learn the skill in the most appropriate way.

Don't Overtrain

As a parent, it can be great to see your child find a passion for something. This passion can sometimes get obsessive if not scaled back. When a child puts all their effort into something without taking needed breaks, their muscles won't have enough time to recover from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This soreness takes about 24 to 48 hours to heal. Stress fractures and muscle swelling are common for those who tend to overdo it. It is important to monitor how much your child is doing so you know if you need to scale back if they are risking injury. If they begin to complain about pain, you should have them rest immediately.