Train Smart, Stay Safe: What Every Athlete and Parent Needs to Know

Getting back into sports is exciting, but it also comes with important responsibilities for athletes, parents, and coaches. As the school year begins and sports seasons get underway, student-athletes are facing intense practices, long tournament days, and extreme heat. Knowing how to properly prepare, hydrate, recover, and respond to warning signs can make a major difference in keeping young athletes safe.

For student-athletes, staying healthy is about more than simply showing up for practice. Consistent nutrition and hydration, adequate rest, proper strength training, and paying attention to injuries can help the body handle the demands of a long season. Understanding the signs of heat illness, concussion, and overuse injuries is also important, especially when an athlete may be tempted to push through pain or return to play too soon.

In this episode of Time Out with the Sports Doctor, Dr. Derrick Burgess joins registered dietitian Rebecca Turner to talk about staying safe and healthy during the back-to-school and sports season. They discuss heat safety, hydration, nutrition, recognizing serious symptoms, common sports injuries, concussion care, overuse injuries, early sports specialization, cross-training, and preparing the body for competition. Most importantly, they remind parents and athletes to be proactive, listen to the body, and know when an injury or symptom needs to be evaluated.

“Just really paying attention to your athlete as a parent, you're gonna know when that child's not themselves, and that's gonna be a sign for you. Trust your gut.”— Dr. Derrick Burgess

Topics Covered:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:37 – Heat, nutrition, and hydration
00:04:38 – Understanding wet bulb temperature
00:06:16 – Signs of heat illness
00:08:36 – Heat safety for parents and athletes
00:11:09 – Preparing for sports emergencies
00:14:53 – Concussions and early evaluation
00:17:18 – Preventing overuse injuries
00:18:37 – Strength training and cross-training
00:19:10 – Sports specialization
00:20:42 – Staying healthy beyond sports physicals
00:21:27 – Friday night sports medicine clinics

Key Takeaways:

“With the heat right now, we know it's intense, so it starts off first with nutrition, hydration.” — Dr. Derrick Burgess

“Just like with everything else when it comes to hydration, consistency over time matters.” — Rebecca Turner

“The wet bulb temperature is a better measure of the impact of the temperature on your body.” — Dr. Derrick Burgess

“If you have somebody who has stopped sweating and cramping really badly, you need to call 911 and you also need to cool that athlete.” — Dr. Derrick Burgess

“I think you have to be proactive. I think it starts off with education.” — Dr. Derrick Burgess

“Being able to remove yourself from that exposure to the sun can help the body's core temperature cool down, especially in between games.” — Dr. Derrick Burgess

“We have to be vigilant for any athlete that's just doing the same thing over and over and over using those same muscle systems over and over without cross-training.” — Dr. Derrick Burgess

Connect with Dr. Derrick Burgess:

Website: https://www.drderrickthesportsdr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drderrickthesportsdr/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimeOut.SportsDr

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-burgess-72047b246/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.derrickburgess243

Email: thesportsdoctr@gmail.com

Other Links: https://www.hbcuendzone.org/about

Scrubs to Skylines: https://www.instagram.com/scrubstoskylines/

This episode of TimeOut with the SportsDr. is produced by Podcast VAs Philippines - the team that helps podcasters effectively launch and manage their podcasts, so we don't have to. Record, share, and repeat! Podcast VAs PH gives me back my time, so I can focus on the core functions of my business. Need expert help with your podcast? Go to www.podcastvasph.com.