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4A Daily News – Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Vitalityfitness health MINNEAPOLIS (MCT) — Thinking back to the summer his shoulder shut down, Scott Elsass now can easily understand why. The Eden Prairie, Minn., tennis player chuckled as he explained how he hit balls several hours, every day, for six straight weeks. Worn out, at age 16. The repetitive motion of hitting serves over and over during his sophomore summer led to a shoulder injury that required nearly a year of healing. A nationally ranked player at age 14, he limped through the remainder of his high school career this spring and battled back to the state tournament finals in June. overuse," Elsass said. "The summer I injured my shoul- der, I had played 41 out of 42 days in a row. I had five tournaments in that stretch." It's a familiar, grueling physical toll to young ath- letes swept up in a sports culture that's demanding specialization and year- round commitment at earli- er-than-ever ages. As their training intensifies, injuries rooted in repetitive motion or overtaxed bodies are on the rise — and putting them at risk for longer-term prob- lems as they grow older, according to local surgeons, sports medicine clinicians and several recently "All that stuff was from James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-4:30pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114 & Teen athletes find bodies can't keep up held a throwing camp to teach athletes how to avoid injury and improve throwing mechanics. The clinic also offers weekly opportunities for injury assessments and exercise training. MCT photo Scott Elsass has battled overuse and repetitive motion injuries his whole high school career. released national studies. Dr. Daniel D. Buss, founder of Sports and Orthopaedic Specialists, based in the Twin Cities, said he operates on a teenager at least once a week. when you get injuries from overusage. These guys want to make it to the next level, so they're out hitting every night, and that's when I do have concerns." Over-commitment does- "Kids are doing more at younger ages. It's not unusual to see a fifth- or sixth-grader get hurt," said Buss, who specializes in shoulder and elbow disor- ders and is a team physician of the Minnesota Twins. "Kids are trying to do more complicated things for their skeletal maturity." Time on the tennis court is a constant issue for Min- neapolis Washburn boys' junior varsity coach Erik Telleen. His young teens can't get enough, but Telleen knows the conse- quences of too much. Sore elbows, shoulders and knees can lead to nagging injuries in the latter part of high school careers _ some- thing the JV coach experi- enced himself. "Ninth grade is about when you start to see kids experience some soreness in elbows," Telleen said. "A lot of my guys want to stay after practice and hit for hours and hours, and that is redbluff.mercy.org www.redbluff.mercy.org Childbirth Class (8/2 - 9/6) Cardiac Support Group Community Basic Life Support Grief Support Group Community Diabetes Support Group6:30pm-8:00pm 8/6 1st Monday Columba Waterbirth Class 6:30pm-8:30pm 8/8 2nd Wednesday Columba 6:00pm-8:30pm 8/13 2nd Monday Columba 6:00pm-10:00pm 8/14 Tuesday Columba www.redbluff.mercy.org 6:30pm-8:30pm 8/2 Thursdays Warde/McAuley 529-8026 527-5290 529-8026 527-5077 529-8026 3:00pm-5:00pm 8/30 Thursdays Coyne Center 528-4207 n't always mean success, though. Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center athletic trainer Dan Christoffer said it can often produce the opposite result. "If they start developing injuries in youth ball, by the time they get to high school they're not going to be effec- tive at all and will have chronic ... injuries," Christoffer said. "It is becoming a lot more of an issue. A lot of these kids are singling out one sport." Buss' staff regularly patrols the Web for med- ical news and studies, good and bad. After a recent study by the Jour- nal of Athletic Training said that nearly 30 percent of all injuries are from overuse, the staff cringed when it stumbled upon news of a high school pitcher who threw more than 200 pitches in one game. "Overuse is an issue because there is just not enough time for them to rest." Eickhoff said. "Another part of the prob- lem is not doing enough preventative exercises." Throwing and "over- head" sports — baseball, softball, volleyball, swim- ming, gymnastics, tennis — lend themselves to more repetitive motion injuries, studies show. For Elsass, that meant readjusting his shoulder for hitting serves and rest- ing. "Right now, youth sports is so big that we have to ... focus on pre- vention," said Chad Eick- hoff, Mayo Clinic's super- visor of athletic trainer services. "How can we have those kids prevent overuse injuries and also injuries that cause prob- lems when older in life?" Buss' staff follows the same principles and avoids surgery at all costs. They believe the right mechanics and correct strength training provide the body with necessary tools to handle regular use. The adjustments have earned him a chance to play for the University of Nebraska's tennis team. But he wonders how much better he could have been if he had not overused. "It's disappointing in that you know how these kids get hurt," Buss said. Last month at the Mall of America, Mayo's Healthy Living Clinic stuff, I'd wait a year or two to get really intense about it. Since I was 10 or 11, I've been playing tour- naments and competing," Elsass said. "Just see if that would have saved a little bit." "If I had to redo USTA 1010 Jefferson St., Red Bluff 527-7800 Complete Dental Care • Cosmetic Dentistry • Adults And Children • New Patients Warmly Welcomed! www.MooreandPascarella.com Tips for hydration during summer heat By Meredith Cohn The Baltimore Sun (MCT) With the extreme heat, and even in less extreme tem- peratures, those who spend any time outside must stay properly hydrated. Some drinks are better than others, and some people need more fluids than others, says Dr. Marc I. Leavey, an internist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore and Lutherville (Md.) Personal Physicians. Q: Should people drink mineral/vitamin waters or Gatorade? And what about energy drinks (i.e., Red Bull, Rockstar): Are they dangerous? What about alcoholic drinks? A: For dehydration from exercise and heat, cool water is still the best. In the case of dehydration from body fluid loss, vomiting and diarrhea, an electrolyte solution, or drinks such as Gatorade or Pedialyte, can be helpful when used according to package guidelines. Nonetheless, adults can usually do well with water alone. Taking salt tablets can lead to hypernatremia — too much salt in the body. Energy drinks are a real problem. The caffeine in them stimulates the kidney to produce more urine when exercis- ing, which will further dehydrate you. It may even have a bit of a laxative effect, with further undesirable effects. With heat and exercise, the pulse rate often rises, and the caffeine in these drinks can push it further, sometimes to dangerous levels. Anyone who has ever had more than a few alcoholic drinks knows that alcohol promotes more urine produc- tion. In the face of heat and dehydration, this can only make a bad situation worse. Q: What about "water intoxication"? Can you drink too much water? A: You certainly can drink too much water, although it is not common in healthy adults. Young children do not have the capacity to absorb water as adults do, with exces- sive water being given to an infant easily able to over- whelm their system. During hot weather, particularly with those who are working outside or participating in strenuous sports, one can lose enough electrolytes in perspiration and urine that replacement with only water can lead to hyponatremia — too little salt in the body — which is a potentially life- threatening condition. This is one situation where ... elec- trolyte drinks can be a useful tool. One who drinks excessive amounts of water without being out in the heat, such as people with psychiatric con- ditions that compel one to drink large amounts of water (psychogenic polydipsia) can become water-intoxicated to the point of exhibiting a plethora of psychiatric signs. Q: Should seniors drink more? And what about kids? Is there a difference? A: Seniors possess several risk factors which can set them up for problems with the heat. In general, the sense of thirst is reduced in older individuals. As well, normal aging processes, apart from any disease states, result in decreased kidney functions, hindering the body's ability to adapt to extremes of temperature or hydration. The confu- sion, dry mouth, slurred speech and altered behavior can easily be attributed just to age, instead of the life-threaten- ing effects of dehydration. Children, at the other extreme of age, share many of the problems of seniors. Their smaller body mass makes minor changes in fluid balance more dangerous. Children don't always respond to nature's call to drink, and that produces dehydration without obvious cause. The signs are similar, with decreased urine output yielding dry diapers in infants, as well as less tears when crying, along with the confusion, somnolence and behavior changes seen in the elderly. 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