As the weather warms up and the kids are venturing outside more, it's time to pay more attention to outdoor safety. Today I wanted to highlight a link from our website to the Consumer Product Safety Commission website. From our main page, just click "Parent and Patient Education"  under the center "Quick Access" section, then look for "Product Recalls" on the left hand side. From here, you can link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission home page. This site is about more than product recalls, though - you can read current recommendations and guidelines on countless safety topics, including steps to preventing sports-related injuries. A few basic reminders: 

• Helmets aren't just for bikes anymore. Whether it's scooters, skateboards, or contact sports, consistent helmet use can prevent many needless concussions and brain injuries (and knee & elbow pads are a good idea also).
• Trampolines cause over 95,000 injuries a year, and are a common cause of fracture and concussion. Prolonged or frequent trampoline use has many risks, so be careful before you allow young children to bounce too much. Almost 100,000 ER visits in 2012 were attributed to trampoline injuries!
• Children under 16 should not ride adult ATVs, which cause hundreds of deaths and thousands of ER visits per year.
• BB guns are not recommended for children under 16 years of age.

We hope our Carolina kids have a safe spring!

Dr. Nechyba