Pediatric & Adolescent Associates News to Use Summer 2010 3050 Harrodsburg Rd 171 N Eagle Creek Dr Lexington, KY 40503 Lexington, KY 40509 Phone 859-277-6102 Fax 859-977-3033 In This Issue: * Check Ups * Fun in the Sun * Acne * Trampoline Safety * Immunizations * Prevent Sports Injury * Healthcare for College Students
CheckUp Season is here!! The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children have a check-up/physical done every year. Please call to schedule these appointments 2-3 months in advance as this is a busy time of year for school physicals. We have school and sports forms available at the office, but if you have any camp, college or special forms that need to be completed, please bring them with you to your appointment. If your child has had immunizations somewhere other than PAA and we do not have a record of these dates, also bring these with you. Your child may not be able to receive immunizations at their visit if we do not have a complete immunization history. *** Reminder about Physical Forms*** If you have forms (school, camp, college, etc.) that need to be completed, please bring them with you to your check up appointment. If you should lose the form and it needs to be completed again, there will be a $10 charge for this. If you call for a form to be completed, you need to allow 2-3 days for this to be done. Thank you.
Treating a Sunburn If your child becomes sunburned, remember that most sunburns can be treated at home. The pain and swelling usually peaks at 24 hours and improves after 48 hours. Begin Ibuprofen as soon as possible in children 6 months of age or older. Continue this every 6 hours for 2 days. This will help with inflammation and pain. Apply 1% hydrocortisone cream to the area three times a day for 2-3 days. Apply cool compresses for 10 minutes several times a day to reduce pain or burning but do not do this if your child is chilling. Add 2 ounces of baking soda to a tub of water to sooth the pain, but avoid soap to the sunburned area. Offer extra water to drink the first day or so to replace the fluids lost into the sunburn and to prevent dehydration. If there are blistered areas, leave them alone to prevent infection. Do not pop the blisters. For any open blisters, apply antibiotic cream such as Neosporin, remove with warm water and reapply twice a day. Call our office it the pain becomes too severe or you are concerned about possible infection. Remember that is very important to protect our skin from the sun s harmful rays and prevent sunburns. Avoid sun exposure during peak intensity hours, 10am-4pm, keep skin covered with light colored clothing and protect exposed areas with sunscreen. We recommend a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside to allow time for it to penetrate the skin. It is important to reapply the sunscreen every 3-4 hours or after swimming or profuse sweating.
Acne Everyone has to deal with acne at some point. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this, but it usually clears up as you get older. Even with good hygiene and a healthy diet, this cannot be avoided completely. Here are some tips that might help you deal with this annoying issue. Benzoyl peroxide is the most effective, non-prescription treatment for acne. * Try the lotions as opposed to the gels, because they will not cause as much redness or dryness. * Start slowly. Begin once a day with a 5% lotion, then twice a day after a week or so if no problems. * If no better after 4-6 weeks, try a 10% lotion once a day and build up to twice a day if no problems. If benzoyl peroxide is not helping, see your pediatrician and they can discuss other possible options with you. Prescription treatment may be recommended and this may include: ~ stronger creams or lotions ~ antibiotics in the form of creams, gels or lotions ~ oral antibiotics ~ Referral to a dermatologist Be Patient! It may take 3-6 weeks to begin to see improvement. Be Faithful! Follow your treatment plan every day. Don t start and stop when your skin changes. Don t Overdo It! Treat your skin as directed. Too much can make your skin even worse. Most importantly, don t worry about what others think! Most teens get acne at some point. Remember, it s only temporary and there are a lot of treatment options.
Trampoline Safety Frequently, trampolines are described as a fun way for kids to get exercise and play. However, hundreds of people are injured on trampolines each year and 2/3 of these injuries are to children 6 through 14 years of age. Common injuries that occur include: o Broken bones (some requiring surgery) o Concussions and other head injuries o Sprains/strains o Bruises, scrapes and cuts o Neck and spinal cord injuries that can result in permanent paralysis or death. We try to explain to our patients and families the dangers of trampolines and we often hear we have a net on ours, so our kids won t get hurt. While a net can prevent a child from falling off of the trampoline, there are many other injuries that can occur. Most injuries result from the following: o Landing wrong while jumping o Attempting stunts o Colliding with another person on the trampoline o Falling or jumping off of the trampoline o Landing on the springs or frame of the trampoline Adult supervision will not adequately prevent injuries on home trampolines. The physicians at PAA agree with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that trampolines should be used ONLY in supervised training programs for gymnastics, diving or other competitive sports. Talk to your child about trampoline safety and the possibility of injuries. As parents, you should be aware that your children may have access to a trampoline at a friend s house and your child should know how you feel about this and any rules that you set for them.
Prevent Sports Injuries! More children are participating in sports than ever before, which is great! Sports help children and adolescents keep their bodies fit, build self-confidence, develop friendships, and learn teamwork. However, children and parents need to be aware of the possibilities of injuries and ways to prevent them. All sports have a risk of injury and the more contact involved with the sport, the greater the risk. Most injuries occur to ligaments (they connect bones together), tendons (they connect muscles to bone), and muscles. Only 5% of sports injuries involve broken bones. However, the areas where bones grow in children are at more risk of injury during the rapid phases of growth. In a growing child, point tenderness over a bone should be evaluated further by your pediatrician even if minimal swelling or limited motion is observed. Here are some helpful tips from healthychildren.org that can help promote a safe, optimal sports experience for your child. To Reduce/Prevent Injury Wear the Right Gear Players should wear appropriate and properly fitting protective equipment such as pads, helmets, mouthpieces, face guards, protective cups, and eyewear. Strengthen Muscles Conditioning exercises before games and during practice strengthens muscles used in play. Increase Flexibility Stretching exercises before and after games or practice can increase flexibility. Use Proper Technique This should be reinforced during the playing season. Take Breaks Rest periods during practice and games can reduce injuries and prevent heat illness. Play Safe! Strict rules against rough play should be enforced. Stop the Activity if there is Pain!! Avoid Heat Injury Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise or play. Decrease or stop activity during high heat/humidity periods. Wear light clothing. The pressure to win can cause significant emotional stress for a child. Sadly, many coaches and parents consider winning the most important aspect of sports. Young athletes should be judged on effort, sportsmanship and hard work and rewarded for trying hard. NEVER punish or criticize a child for losing a game or competition. Encourage your child to have fun!!!
Health Care for College Students Even though you are in college, we at PAA still care about your health! Call us anytime you have questions and if you live nearby, you can continue to make appointments or come in when you are home on break. Here are some things to check on before you head off to college: You may want to schedule a physical before school starts. Check with your school, because they may require this. See if your school requires certain vaccines. Some schools are now requiring the Menactra and TdaP vaccines. They may also need a copy of all of your immunizations. Check to see if your school has a student health service. You can go here for medical care, advice, information and counseling. Keeping healthy while you are away at school is the best way to prevent illness. Rest, eating well and exercise are three ways to achieve this. 1. Rest : Too little sleep can make you more susceptible to colds and other minor illnesses. Fatigue can also contribute to stress and depression as well as make it hard to stay awake in class and concentrate on papers and tests. 2. Eat Well : Fast food or vending machine food may be quick and cheap when you are busy, but eating well is very important! Eat fruits and vegetables every day. Stick to lean meats, fish and poultry as well as foods high in calcium. Limit junk food and sugary drink. Drink plenty of water. 3. Exercise : Exercise is an important part of staying healthy. This can strengthen your heart, lungs, tone/build muscle and bone mass and improve flexibility and range of motion. Try walking to class or riding a bike instead of driving or riding the bus. Talk with your pediatrician or student health before starting an exercise program. This is a very exciting time in your life. You need to take care of yourself and get the most out of this experience! Good Luck!
Immunizations A message from the American Academy of Pediatrics The AAP believes that vaccines are one of the most successful medical advances of all time but understands that parents may have questions about vaccines and their children. The AAP is not able to provide information regarding individual children and their medical conditions, but the following resources are provided as background for a dialogue with your child's pediatrician. The AAP just launched a new Immunization area on its Web site, www.aap.org. Please take a minute to view the new site and give us your feedback! PAA follows the AAP guidelines on immunization recommendations and scheduling. You can now find Pediatric & Adolescent Associates on Facebook. We have information on our staff, bios and interesting facts about our physicians, office updates and more. We welcome all of our PAA friends! Visit our website at www.paalex.org!!