SPORTS HEALTH
INFORMATION
WITH BALANCE
We are an international education, advocacy and research organization dedicated to sports safety and the value of sports participation.
Understanding Concussions
Most concussions get better in a matter of days. But some don’t. Why is it so important to understand and properly treat them? When is it safe to return to school and sports? What will happen if the symptoms don’t go away?
Movement, play and sports: What are the benefits?
The sports and activities children love often come with risks. But sports, movement and play also yield abundant benefits. They can enhance the physical, mental and social health of children today and long into the future.
Legislating Safe Return to Play
The Institute was largely inspired by the personal story of Zackery Lystedt, a Washington teenager who returned to play after suffering a concussion in a football game, and was treated for major head injuries at UW Medicine’s Harborview Medical Center. Our advocacy helped lead to the Zackery Lystedt Law, which regulates athletes’ return to play after a suspected concussion. It was first passed in Washington, and quickly adopted by all 50 states.
Happenings
Speeding Return to Play
Athletes immediately removed from play after a concussion recovered twice as fast as those who kept playing.
Speeding Return to Play
Taking immediate precautions after concussion will allow athletes more opportunities to keep playing, not fewer, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh. Players who left the game immediately after head trauma took an average of 22 days to recover. Those who stayed in the game took an average of 44 days to recover.
Beat the Heat
Find out what science says about training in the summer.
Beat the Heat
In this compilation of articles, learn what you need to know about proper hydration in the heat, avoiding and treating debilitating heat cramps, and the prevention, recognition and treatment of life-threatening heat stroke.
Sports Specialization: What You Need to Know
Balanced advice on the risks and benefits of young athletes focusing on a single sport year-round.
Sports Specialization: What You Need to Know
Dr. Emily Kraus writes that as youth sports have evolved over the years, many children focus intensively on a single sport all year in an effort to increase performance. However, when young athletes sample multiple sports, they may lower their risk of injury.
7 Benefits of Exercise
Mounting evidence supports the surprising benefits of exercise, from boosting mood and brain health to improving the way our bodies burn fat.
7 Benefits of Exercise
Scientists are learning that exercise is, actually, medicine. “There is no pill that comes close to what exercise can do,” says Claude Bouchard, director of the human genomics laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana.
OUR CORE
PURPOSE
IS BALANCE
Partner Spotlight
Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI)
Part of one of the world’s leading pediatric specialty health centers, SCRI brings together the best minds in pediatric research to set new standards of pediatric care and find new cures for childhood diseases.