"Summer Sports Safety For Kids" - Sheila Dougherty

School is out, which means summer sports are about to kick into high gear. While kids are swimming, playing soccer, tennis, or attending camp for any number of sports, outdoor safety is key to a healthy, fun experience. To find out what parents, coaches, and kids need to look out for, two experts who work with the United States Tennis Association weighed in. “Water's going to be the best thing for kids. Then they need carbohydrate replacement with something with electrolytes in it. It really depends on the age of the child. A very, very physically active teenager requires six liters of water a day. If a child is just out for fun for a little bit of time and not doing any kind of elite sports, then they drink to thirst,” said Melissa Leber, MD, director of the emergency department of sports medicine at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West. James Gladstone, MD, co-chief of sports medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital said, “The sun is often much stronger than you even think it feels. I would say loose guidelines would be to reapply every three hours, particularly if you're doing a lot of sweating.”

 - James Gladstone, MD, Associate Professor, Orthopedics, Sports Medicine Service, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Co-Chief, Sports Medicine, The Mount Sinai Hospital

- Melissa Leber, MD, Assistant Professor, Orthopaedics, Emergency Medicine, Director, Emergency Department Sports Medicine, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, Mount Sinai West

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