Sports tools

School Sports Physicals are Coming Up

by News You Can Use

As the summer sports season looms, would-be student athletes have an exam to pass: their physicals.

This exam should not be taken lightly, says Jason Brackins PA(C), physician’s assistant at Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

As youthful minds turn to soccer, baseball and softball, school coaches need to know of players’ potential health problems before practices begin in earnest. TSAA rules demand that participating students at the high school level first have a sports physical.

There are two parts to sports physicals. First is a written health history for both child and parent to answer and sign. Without it, the student may miss out on playing the sport. Second is a top-to-toe physical exam by a medical provider.

“We try to uncover potential harms to the children,” Jason said.

“It’s important to be honest” and not omit health problems on the written form, Jason said. Parents should understand that by signing they are taking on liability for the accuracy of the report.

“Sports physicals can’t always ID problems,”  he explained. While a physical exam may pick up some issues, others may not be obvious at the time. For example, swimming may not be the right sport for a child with a seizure disorder.

It’s also important that parents and student athlete inform the medical provider about all medications he or she is taking. For an asthmatic, “before you go running, make sure you have your inhaler in hand.”

Another factor : “If your child is under the care of a specialist, notes from the specialist should be given to the person doing the physical.”

Jason and other medical providers conduct sports physicals at Mountain Hope, which usually incur a small fee. Some local schools offer free physicals on a particular day, when local health providers conduct the exams on a volunteer basis at the school. Jason himself has taken part in these.

Would-be student athletes should ask their coaches or athletic directors about the date of free school physicals, he said.

The exams are good for one year. After that, another exam is necessary.

Happy woman doing online shopping at home

Donate the Easy Way through Amazon Smile

by FundraisersNews You Can Use

Amazon.com offers an enormous inventory of things you can buy, and on-line shopping is becoming more popular all the time. So why not donate to Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic while you shop on line?

Amazon Smile offers an easy way to donate. It costs you nothing extra and once you are signed up, you can forget about it.

The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price of eligible products to charity. Everything available at Amazon is also available at Amazon Smile at the same price.

It’s simple. Instead of going to amazon.com for your purchases, enter smile.amazon.com on your browser. The first time you do this, enter “ Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic” as your choice of charity from about a million charities listed. Then you shop, and Mountain Hope gets 0.5 percent of the purchase price. The next time you return to smile.amazon.com, the Clinic will automatically benefit.

Thank you! You’ll improve someone else’s life while you shop.  Get started here:

 

Mittens scarf hat on withe background

You Can Help with Winter Warmth

by EventsNews You Can Use

It’s a tradition at Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic to decorate our Christmas tree in the front lobby with winter warmth. Mittens, hats, gloves, scarves and socks of all sizes, shapes and colors decorate our tree. Just before Christmas, our patients take what they need to stay warm from the tree as our gift to them.

Christmas may not be on your horizon yet, but it’s on ours. We would love donations of those winter items. If you can knit, crochet or sew, home-made articles are always a big hit with our patients. Be creative with patterns and colors. If you prefer shopping to knitting, maybe you could find a bargain on a scarf, hat or socks.

You can bring your donation to the Clinic and leave them with our front office staff, or you can contact Ashley Burnette at 865-774-7684 or aburnette@mountainhope.org for pickup.

 

Thanks! And Merry Christmas!

 

Broken twisted angle - running sport injury. Male runner touching foot in pain due to sprained ankle.

How to Prevent and Treat Sports Injuries

by News You Can Use

When it comes to sports injuries, concussions are the 600-pound gorilla everyone is talking about, but sprains and strains are much more common.

Jason Brackins, Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic’s physician assistant, sees common-sense prevention as one way to cut down on sprains, strains and other sports-related problems. His recommendations include:

Sprains and strains: –Warming up is important before participating in any sport. “Stretching is crucial in preventing strains,” he said. If a strain or sprain happens, don’t make it worse by continuing to play. It’s important to avoid reinjury by stopping the activity. If the injury persists, seek medical attention, Jason advised.

Prevention: Athletes should ensure they have plenty of water on hand. “Hydration is an absolute must in the warmer months,” Jason said. So is wearing sunscreen to prevent sun damage. Sunburn can occur even on cloudy days.

Concussions are big news these days, though not as common as sprains and strains. The news emphasis is on football, but concussions can occur in any sport — when two athletes bang heads, for instance. Every high school coach in the state has to take a class on recognizing and treating concussions, Jason said, but that doesn’t mean everyone in charge of a sport – or playing in a pickup game — has had that training.

Seek immediate medical attention for a suspected concussion. “The days of going back into the game have long gone,” Jason said. Re-injury can lead to all kinds of bad long-term consequences for a player’s health. The athlete should not participate in the sport again until a physician has given the OK.

Physicals: High schools mandate physicals for their athletes, but church leagues and other groups may not. If you intend to play regularly it’s a good idea to get a physical, according to Jason.

Risk: Finally, “Every child and parent should know the risk associated with each sport,” he said. That doesn’t mean children should be afraid of sports; there’s some risk involved in every activity in life.

Kids Going to School

How to Go Back to School in Good Health

by News You Can Use

Viruses and bacteria have a new set of victims lined up: It’s back-to-school time.

As children (and their teachers) mingle in their classrooms and schoolyards for the first time in months, the chance of passing on illnesses increases.

Jason Brackins, Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic physician assistant, has some suggestions for ensuring that students get off to a good start and stay healthy this school year and into the future:

–Make sure your children’s vaccinations are up to date. The state of Tennessee has set requirements for vaccines and immunizations that should be respected.

–As fall approaches, it’s time for flu shots. “Untreated influenza as led to hundreds of thousands of deaths world-wide,” Jason said. “October and November are flu season.” It’s best to get a flu shot now and gain some immunity before the bug hits. (This applies to adults as well as children.)

–Good hand-washing habits will control the spread of viruses and infections. Children should be taught to wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating and at other times when they are exposed to other kids’ germs. Door handles, for example, can spread disease.

–Eating a good, healthy diet. Children need well-balanced meals, Jason said. Schools provide breakfast and lunch; snacks are not enough to sustain growing children.

–Students of all ages need a minimum of eight hours’ sleep every night, he said. Children go through periods of rapid brain growth and need more sleep than they will as adults.

–Good oral hygiene is a practice that all students, regardless of age, need to cultivate. Some schools teach the basics of dental care. Brushing their teeth twice a day should become a habit that will serve all students well throughout their lives.

Jason also suggests that parents monitor their children’s vision and hearing and have them tested. These days, children begin listening to music and wearing headsets for video games long before they are teenagers. “Extreme noise over long periods of time can lead to long-term consequences,” he warned.

By promoting these basic practices, parents can ensure their children have a healthy, happy school year and learn health habits that will stand them in good stead all their lives, Jason said.