What Parents of Athletes Should Know About Injuries and Abuse

By EMILY ANDERSON I’m not a parent. But I was once a gymnast. Now I teach at a medical school. As far as my own injuries, I consider myself lucky; I can walk through airport security without setting off any metal detectors. But I certainly have had my fair share of visits to the emergency department, the orthopedist, the chiropractor, and the physical therapist – as an adult and as a child, at times without a parent present. We heard so many powerful statements from young women at Larry Nassar’s sentencing hearings. As I read and listened to these women confront their abuser, I was empowered by statements like those of Kyle Stevens, who said: “…little girls don’t stay little forever. They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world.” But I wondered if parents of male athletes were paying as much attention to the Nassar story as were the parents of young girls. Now that the first male gymnast has come forward to accuse Nassar of sexual abuse perhaps they will. As a health educator-turned-bioethicist who studies physician sexual abuse of patients, I have some practical advice for parents. First, if your child is at a competitive level, talk to him about injuries now – before they happen. Tell him how important it is that he is honest with you about his injuries. Emphasize that his health is more important than anything else. Injuries will occur at inconvenient times – after plane tickets have been purchased for an away competition, after...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs