and Their Prevention @ (NAPSA)—You encourage your children to play sports because you know it can be good for them. But you also worry that they’ll get hurt. Every year, children experience sprains and strains, growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries, and heat-related injuries. Here are some things you can do to help prevent or reduce the risk of sports injuries: Get your children into organized sports where adults who are certified athletic trainers are involved. Make sure your children always use appropriate protective gear. e Ensure that your children do warmup exercises before and after practice and events. Educate yourself and your children on preventive measures, warningsigns,andfirst aid. A fact sheet, and Their Prevention: A Guide for Parents with Ideas for Kids, is available from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health. This publication, for parents, coaches,trainers, and others involved in youth sports, tells how to prevent sports injuries in children. It lists com- mon injuries, protective gear, and injury prevention methodsspecifi- cally for football, basketball, soccer, baseball and softball, gymnastics, and track andfield. It also pro- vides some basic information on playing safely in the heat and treating injuries with rest, ice, compression, and elevation. To obtain single or multiple copies of this free fact sheet, please contact the NIAMS at 1 AMS Circle, Bethesda, MD 20892-3675 or (877) 22-NIAMS (toll-free phone); (301) 718-6366 (fax); (801) 565-2966 (TTY); NIAMSInfo@mail.nih.gov (e- mail). The Web site http://www.nih.gov/niams. is
