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| After-hours Calls |
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Performance Pediatrics is a small practice. Our size allows me to schedule evening and weekend appointments, spend more time with each patient and get to know each child well. Our priority is to be open and available when our patients need us.
The drawback of our size, however, is that when I need to take time to see hospital patients, attend a conference or simply take time off, our office is closed.
When you call our after-hours line (508-747-8229) you will be connected to an operator at VIP Connections, our answering service. If I do not respond to your call within 15 minutes, VIP Connections is supposed to page the back-up doctor for you. Please remind them of this if need be.
We are fortunate to share call with all of the pediatricians associated with Jordan Hospital. When our office is closed, a trusted colleague is available to speak with families on the phone or, if need be, see them in their office.
As always, we welcome your feedback and are open to your suggestions on this or any other issue. | |
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| Children's Sports Injuries |
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Overuse Injuries in Children on the Rise according to new AAP Report
I encourage all children to be physically active through unstructured play as well as participation in organized sports. However, although participation in sports is a good thing, too much can be harmful. Pediatricians across the country are diagnosing and treating ever greater numbers of overuse injuries in young athletes.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a clinical report in June 2007 titled "Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes," and defines an overuse injury as an injury to a bone, muscle or tendon that has been subjected to repetitive stress without sufficient time to heal or undergo the natural healing process. The risks of overuse are more serious in the pediatric/adolescent athlete because the growing bone of the young athlete cannot handle as much stress as the mature bones of adults. In addition to the risk of physical injury there is also the risk of psychological injury or "burnout". Symptoms of burnout include chronic muscle or joint pain, personality changes, elevated resting heart rate, decreased sport performance, fatigue, lack of enthusiasm about practice or competition, or difficulty completing ordinary activities.
Lifelong fitness and enjoyment of physical activity should be the overall goal of participating in athletics. There is significant danger in getting caught up in making the professional leagues or Olympics. Children and adolescents often train year-round on multiple teams of one sport with the hope of earning a college scholarship in that sport or becoming a professional athlete, but less than one percent of high school athletes make it to the professional level.
To optimize a child's enjoyment of sport while also limiting the risk for injuries I recommend the following:
- Young athletes limit training in one sport to no more than five days a week, with at least one day off from all organized physical activity
- Weekly training time, number of repetitions, or total distance should not increase by more than 10 percent weekly
- Focus of sports should be on fun, skill acquisition, safety and sportsmanship
- Join only one team per season
- Be aware of risks associated with weekend tournaments (soccer, baseball, tennis), such as heat-related illness, nutritional deficiencies, overuse injuries and burnout
- Multi-sport athletes who use the same body parts for different sports especially need to take a break between seasons to avoid overuse injuries
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| Diaper Rash |
All babies will develop a diaper rash at some time, and some seem particularly prone to it. Diaper rash (diaper dermatitis) is caused by friction, moisture, and skin irritation from urine and stool all of which occurs under the occlusion of the diaper. A diaper rash causes the skin under the diaper to become irritated, red, and occasionally to bleed as well. Usually the rash spares skin folds which are protected from the irritation.
The best way to prevent diaper rash is through frequent diaper changes; the longer your baby is in a wet or dirty diaper the more likely she is to develop a rash.
Even with the best effort at prevention, all babies will get a diaper rash at some time. One of the best treatments, which can be a little risky for your home carpeting, is to allow your baby to have some naked time. Exposing skin to the air allows it to dry, removes the occlusion and friction of the diaper and keeps them clean. However, when you do need to diaper a baby with a rash you should apply an over the counter diaper cream or ointment. The purpose of diaper cream is to create a barrier over the inflamed skin to keep it clean and away from irritants so it can heal. Some of the common and effective ingredients you should look for in a diaper cream are:
If your baby has a rash that spreads outside of the diaper area, does not get better with over the counter treatments, is associated with fever, or seems to be causing him a lot of pain, please let me know right away. |
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Sincerely,
Dr. Terence McAllister
Performance Pediatrics
E-MAIL POLICY: Performance Pediatrics does not use e-mail to conduct patient care. Please do not send patient information via e-mail. New and established patients may contact us by phone to discuss any concerns. | |
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