Cook Children’s Female Athlete program was designed with a comprehensive approach to keep female athletes healthy and at the top of their game. Located at the Cook Children’s Multi-Specialty Clinic in Hurst, it focuses on nutrition, mental health and injury prevention and treatment in preteen and teenage athletes.

Krystle Farmer, M.D., sports medicine physician, dreamed of this clinic which has now become a reality for female athletes.

“We see a lot of female athletes who have specific needs,” Dr. Farmer said.

Injury Prevention

The clinic, which opened this summer, sees many athletes who train intensely year-round, or those who participate in sports with a major focus on weight and caloric intake, such as dancers or female wrestlers.

“The red flags we look for are stress fractures, menstrual dysfunction, and recurrent overuse injuries, all of which can be a sign of energy deficiency in athletes,” Dr. Farmer said.

Referrals can be made to other members of the team including a gynecologist, orthopedic surgeon, endocrinologist, psychiatrist or physical therapist.

The clinical evaluation assesses any acute or chronic musculoskeletal concerns. If needed, a mechanical evaluation can be set up separately at the therapy center to assess throwing mechanics, squat form, muscle imbalance and/or pelvic alignment.

X-rays are available in the office when necessary and the clinic’s athletic trainer, Micaela Lozano, DAT, LAT, ATC, ROT, OPE-C, can provide home exercise teaching and personalized programs during the visit.

Nutrition

Frankie Kindy, Registered Dietitian with Cook Children’s Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, provides individualized nutrition counseling. Nutrition is essential for an athlete to be able to perform their best, but unfortunately under fueling is not uncommon in this population. 

Frankie uses information about the athlete’s sport of choice, current nutrition, level of activity, sleep, and more to give personalized recommendations for how each athlete can optimize their nutrition. Each patient receives a document after the visit with their personal goals and recommendations.

“Sometimes I see higher level athletes who have never had access to sports nutrition training,” Frankie said. “It is important for them to get this information, because athletes have very specific needs. I help these athletes tweak their diets to increase their energy, reduce risk of injury, promote recovery, and overall improve performance.”

A major focus of the program is prevention. Dr. Farmer orders bone density testing as well as labs (vitamin levels, inflammatory markers, and/or hormone levels) when indicated. The John and Tracy Sellers Sports Complex at Walsh Ranch is also developing preventative programs, including an ACL Prevention Rehabilitation Program.

“Our goal is to look at the whole athlete, including mind and body, so that we can get to the root cause of any problems and start preventive care so that our athletes perform at their peak levels,” Dr. Farmer said.

The answer is complicated.

Yes, it's very important for toddlers ages 1-3 to interact with other kids their age and challenge their balance, strength and coordination. Sports are a great way to promote these skills and literature shows that athletes who play sports at a younger age are more likely to be active adults than their peers who don't participate in sports.

However, organized sports  may not be the best solution for children 3 and under, and aren't the only way to teach our children these skills. The list below describes activities for toddlers and some benefits of these activities for their development.

Swimming: Helps strengthen the arms and legs, as well as improve coordination since the child has to use both arms and both legs at the same time. Learning swimming at an early age helps promote good water safety habits later in life. You can practice swimming in a "parent and me" swimming class. 

Dance: Improves balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. You can practice in a class setting or by having a "dance party" or playing a game of "freeze dance" at home.

Biking: Between ages 2 and 3, kids should be able to begin riding a tricycle. For young kids, there are tricycles that offer a parent guide bar to help kids move and steer. You can practice biking in your neighborhood or on trails.

Soccer: Most teams start between ages 3-5; however, kicking a ball in the backyard with your toddler is a great way to help them learn to run, develop core strength and balance on one foot for a short period of time.

Basketball: Helps kids develop hand-eye coordination when dribbling and shooting and improve running and jumping skills, as well. You can play with an adjustable hoop in the driveway, or sing up for a community team (which will generally begin between ages 3-5).

T-Ball: Teaches running, balll skills and coordination skills. Using larger balls for young children will help them be successful with catching and throwing.

Yoga: Helps improve flexibility, which is very important since toddlers are growing quickly and develop tight musles quickly. Yoga can also improve strength (especially in the core muscles) and balance. Several toddler yoga videos can be found online, and classes are available throught out the DFW area.

Gymnastics: Another way to gain strength, balance and flexibility, gymnastics is a sport that children can begin learning as early as 18 months old. Many gyms have special toddler and preschool classes, as well as "parent and me" classes.

Yard games: The old staples of "tag" and "hide and seek" are great for teaching turn taking and problem solving, as well as practicing and running and climbing. Taking your child to a local playground also offers a wide variety of ways to practice climbing stairs, running, swinging, balance, etc. 

With all of these, safety is a primary concern. Toddlers are at high risk of injury when practicing new things. Contact your pediatrician if you feel like your child is having difficulty learning new skills and they may refer you for evaluation by a physical therapist to evaluate your child and help them learn these new skills.

About the author

Jodi Burgett PT, DPT, CPST, is the clinical coordinator of Neurodevelopmental Physical Therapy at Cook Children's. Physical therapy at Cook Children's focuses on large motor and functional skils to enhance development, restore function and prevent disability from pediatric conditions, illness or injury. Cook Children's has Rehabilition Services in locations in Fort Worth, Hurst and most recently in Mansfield.

But it doesn’t make her any less infuriated by the actions of an adult taking away the innocence of a child. Dr. Coffman said parents need to take certain steps to teach their children how to protect themselves:

1. Educate your children. Most importantly, educate your children about the dangers of predators. “The main thing is to educate your child and let them know what is not appropriate. What’s not OK,” Coffman said. “For children, young adults reading this, it’s not OK to be touched inappropriately. I don’t care who it is. Mom. Dad. Grandma. Grandpa. A family friend. A pastor. A police. A coach. It doesn’t matter who the authority figure is. If you are being abused, tell a trusted adult. If they don’t believe you or do something about it, keep telling an adult until someone does something.”
2. Start at a young age, making children aware of what is and what isn’t inappropriate touching. Dr. Coffman said at around 2 or 3 years old parents can use certain teaching moments to inform children on inappropriate touching. “When you are bathing your child that’s a good opportunity,” she said. “Make sure to name their body parts. I don’t care what you call it, just make sure your children know what their privates are called. During a bath or while they are using the potty, use that opportunity to teach them the difference between caregivers performing necessary child care during bathing or toileting and inappropriate touches. Let children know if someone else makes them feel funny or uncomfortable by touching them, to let you know.”
3. Let your children know it’s OK to talk to you. Generally speaking, Dr. Coffman said pedophiles don’t usually start out being extremely aggressive. They usually start with more generic touching and gaining the child’s trust. Dr. Coffman said that’s why it is extremely important to let your children know that they need to be able to come to you, as a parent, and let you know of anything that’s inappropriate. They also need to be assured that they will not get in trouble if they tell you they are uncomfortable about anything.
4. Communicate and report abuse. Let your child know to tell someone. Just letting someone know and reporting the crime can prevent a whole lot of tragedy.