What is the difference between a sports physical and a wellness checkup?

By Dr. Sky Izaddoost
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio Primary Care
Alon Town Centre

Summer camp time. Sports physical time. Every year, parents flood medical offices for a last minute sports physical so their child can participate in team sports at school or go to summer camp. Most walk-in clinics charge about $50 for a sports physical.  Parents gladly pay the money, not realizing that their insurance covers an annual well-child checkup, which would include the sports physical– without a co-pay in most cases.

What is the difference between the two?  A sports physical is an abbreviated well-child checkup.  The physician or practitioner is only looking for reasons that your child would not be able to participate in sports or go away to summer camp. They check old injuries like previously broken bones to make sure they have healed, determine if chronic medical conditions like asthma should limit play, and screen for conditions that could potentially cause death with exercise like heart conditions.  There is no further management.  The physical exam is also shortened, looking only for conditions that would affect play.

Manteniendo a sus niños seguros alrededor del agua

Por el dr. Alberto Carranza
Emergenicia Pediátricas
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio

El verano esta a la vuelta de la esquina! Con ese calor, que es mas divertido para un niño que jugar en el agua, sea en una piscina, un rio o en la bañera?  Sin embargo, esa misma emoción puede terminar en un accidente serio si no se toman medidas de precaución.  Por eso, nos tomaremos un momento para discutir un poco sobre accidentes en agua para evitar tragedias y percances.

Keep your kids safe around water

By Dr. Tracy McCallin
Emergency Department
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio

Every day, ten people die from drowning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every five drowning deaths involves a child under 14 years of age. Safe Kids Worldwide estimates that more than 50 percent of children who drown are age four or younger. In 2012, Texas led the United States in drowning deaths for children one to four years old. According to 2016 statistics from the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services, lake and residential pool drownings are on the rise.

We are fortunate in San Antonio to have access to many different options to stay cool on hot summer days including pools, nearby lakes, and rivers. These bodies of water can pose additional risks, such as strong currents after a lot of rain which can make swimming difficult even for advanced swimmers. Families must also be careful in the backyard with wading pools and buckets, and even the sink or bathtub can be a risk for drowning since young children can drown within seconds in less than two inches of water.

But it’s not all bad news, because drowning is preventable. Here are some tips you can use this summer to help prevent drowning and keep your children safe in the water.

Cries for help

By Dr. Nancy Kellogg
Center for Miracles
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio

For more than 10 years, The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio – Center for Miracles has served as the only child abuse center of its kind in South Central Texas. The caring team of physicians, nurses, and staff are specially trained to care for children who are at risk for, or traumatized by, abuse and neglect. We strive to provide timely medical and psychosocial care for children referred to our Center. Our physicians are some of the only child abuse specialists in the state.

The Center offers a comforting, family-focused environment in which to serve the children of San Antonio and beyond. Restoring a child’s health and peace is our main goal. Teachers, day care providers, social workers, nurses, extended family, and others who come into contact with children have a responsibility to report cases of child abuse and neglect.