School is just around the corner and with it comes heavier traffic, new excitement and increased chances for injuries.
Many back to school injuries for children actually occur at school. Children become overwhelmed with the excitement of seeing their friends again daily, new teachers and fresh starts. This excitement tends to push rules and safety to the back of their minds causing more injuries to occur, especially on the playground. Common playground injuries include ankles, knees, heads, wrists and necks.
Ankle injuries are likely to occur on uneven surfaces like hills, playgrounds, or hole-ridden fields. Knee injuries are mostly scrapes and bruises that occur from falling off playground equipment. Head injuries, potentially the most serious of all, occur from children running into others, running into equipment, and even accidentally thrown elbows. Wrist injuries are usually the result of bracing oneself when falling down. Wrists are likely to become very sore, and even break when the hands are used to catch a fall. Neck injuries also occur from bad falls and run-ins.
All injuries should be taken seriously and be checked out by a school nurse. Parents and teachers should be extra cautious when watching children on playgrounds at all points in the year, but especially during the beginning of the school year. Rules need to be re-stated and reinforced as children are caught up in new excitement and therefore likely to be more distracted.
Playgrounds are not the only place that sees heightened injury levels at the beginning of the school year. With the start of school comes greater traffic levels than was seen during the summer. Buses once again flood the roads as do pedestrians and bikers. It is important that children are taught and reminded of safe travel habits as the school year starts.
Children need to know how to safely get on and off the bus – waiting for a complete stop before approaching, staying out of the driver’s blind spot, remaining in their seat once the bus is moving, etc. Parents whose children walk to school should take extra care in making sure their children know the route and adhere to sidewalks and crosswalks as well as looking both ways before crossing the road. The same should be said for children who ride their bike to school, but in addition, those children need to have proper safety gear such as helmets on.
There is no such thing as over precaution when it comes to the safety of our children and loved ones. If you do experience an accident or injury, seek professional care quickly.
At OneSource Healthcare, we understand how vital it is to be seen by an urgent care physician when you aren’t well. That is why we offer low-cost, affordable urgent care for those occasional urgent care medical needs that simply cannot wait. Visit us online at www.onesource-healthcare.com/ or give us a call today at 229-439-1950 or 229-246-6417.