Cape Regional Health System Hosts Info Session on Sports Injuries

COURT HOUSE – Cape Regional Health System recently partnered with Lower Cape May Regional High School to hold “Play it Safe,” an information session on sports injuries that more than 85 parents, coaches and athletes attended. The program’s speakers discussed both prevention and treatment of common sports injuries. According to STOP Sports Injuries, high school athletes account for more than 2 million injuries annually, and a majority of these injuries come from overuse. Kevin McHale, MD, an Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Surgeon with PENN Orthopaedics at Cape Regional Health System discussed how to prevent overuse injuries by optimizing pre-season, in-season training and nutrition, avoiding overtraining and early sport-specialization, and allowing the athlete’s body to have adequate rest. “Ed ucation is the first step to preventing sports injuries,” said Kevin McHale, M.D., PENN Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Surgeon. “Early recognition of overuse injuries is vital to preventing severe issues that are painful and often difficult to treat.” The session also covered common injuries that young athletes experience, from little league arm to jumper’s knee to shin splints and more. Parents, coaches and athletes were taught how to prevent these injuries and how to return to their sports after recovery. Concussions, sustained by 20 percent of high school athletes, were also a focal point in the session. AJ Weiss, title, educated the audience on the signs and symptoms of concussions and the different tests that doctors and trainers can use to diagnose one. Cape Regional Health System has a Concussion Care Center, staffed with brain injury specialists, neurologists , local pediatricians and more. To date, the Concussion Care Center has performed more than 400 evaluations and 1,200 treatments. “We are proud to partner with Lower Cape May Regional High School to provide this unique educational opportunity to parents, coaches and athletes,” said Joanne Carrocino, FACHE, president and CEO of Cape Regional Health System. “Protecting the health of young athletes is a high priority for us because we have seen how debilitating sports injuries can be.” Photos Captions Photo 1 From left to right: Christopher Kobik, Superintendent, Lower Cape May Regional High School, A.J. Weiss, OTL/R, CBIS, Manager, Cape Regional Occupational Therapy and Concussion Care, Virginia Millar, DPT, Director, Cape Regional Physical Therapy, Kevin McHale, M.D., PENN Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Surgeon, Mark Schiffbauer, Athletic Director, Lower Cape May Regio nal School District. About Cape Regional Physicians Associates Cape Regional Health System is a Penn Medicine Cancer Network affiliate and a clinical affiliate of Penn Medicine for Cardiac Care, Orthopaedic Care and Vascular Care. Cape Regional Medical Center is accredited by and received the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission.
For additional information on the Health System and its programs, please login to our web site at www.CapeRegional.com or contact Susan Staeger, Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator at 609-463-2059.