June 24, 2020
As youth athletes prepare for the upcoming season, it's important to continue practicing COVID-19 safety precautions. Youth sports medicine medical director, David Smith, MD, shares 6 tips that youth athletes should follow both on and off the field.
To help make it easier to remember these tips, Dr. Smith advises you to think of Six/Tips:
S = Socially distance from others.
I = Increase handwashing.
X/T = Don’t touch your face.
I = Illness? Be aware of symptoms.
P = Please cough and sneeze into your elbow.
S = Stay home when ill.
There's not an absolute yes, no, right, wrong. This is a new world for us.
The SIX TIPS:
"S" is we have to social and physical distance. The six feet is very important in practices.
The "I" in that is to increase in frequent use of hand washing and gelling and cleaning equipment in our environment. All very important.
The "X", "T" is keep your hands away from your face. Don't touch. "X", "T", don't touch.
And then on the "I", it's that we need to be really illness awareness, and assess ourselves. Watch for fever, chills, cough, things like that. We want them checking their temperatures before they come to practice.
And then the "P" is "Please, please cough in your elbow and sneeze in your elbow."
And then the "S" of course is stay home. If you're ill, stay home. Report that to someone. Don't be afraid to say something for fear that a coach might not let you into the practice, or you can't make the team because you missed a couple practices.
Our sports medicine experts treat all types of athletes, including youth athletes. Learn more about youth sports medicine care at The University of Kansas Health System.
Start the school year off right
Help your student stay healthy on and off the field. Make an appointment now for your athlete’s sports medicine physical.