Connecticut Children's Blog

If your child is an athlete, it’s important to talk to them about concussions. Pediatric Sports Medicine expert Imran Hafeez, MD, shares what you need to know. 1. Concussions are common in sports. Falls and collisions during sports can cause concussions, a kind of brain injury that can be mild to more significant. Football and […]

Imagine: You are a star football player walking onto the field for the first game of your senior year. It is Friday night, and the stands are packed. You’ve already racked up three all-conference and two all-state selections in your first three years of high school; you’ve been offered multiple scholarships to play college football […]

At indoor track practice this past winter, Derby High School shot putter Michael Hyder, age 15, was hit in the back of the head with a shot put – a metal ball about the size and weight of a small cannonball. It knocked him unconscious, and he fell face-forward onto the gravel. When he came […]

Nearly half of all sports injuries are knee injuries. They can sideline you for weeks or months at a time. The good news? Research shows a combination of strength, balance, and plyometric exercises can reduce the risk of knee injuries. Physical therapists from Connecticut Children’s identified six such exercises to try. Sophia, one of our patients, demonstrates […]

Now that fall sports are starting up, it’s a good idea to be mindful of how to keep your young athletes safe on the field. David Wang, MD, MS, chief of Connecticut Children’s Sports Medicine division, shares some ways athletes can prepare for the season. Before athletes head out to the field for practice, what […]

It can happen in almost any sport. For Khyon Gillespie, it was football. He was 12 years old and already an up-and-coming football prodigy. His whole life revolved around the sport, along with his plans for the future. But an instant of twisting the wrong way in a game had left him with a torn […]

Connor loves baseball. And he’s really good at it—pitcher and shortstop are his favorite positions. But last year, when he was 10, he was experiencing problems with his knee that threatened to take him out of the game. He had significant pain all the time, and his knee would periodically lock up. His mother took […]