Valley doctors urging safety as students resume sports seasons

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Back-to-school doesn't just mean going back to the classroom.

For student-athletes, it's returning to the field, the court or the track.

Kids enjoyed weeks of summer vacation, and training might have not been top of mind.

Dr. Anthony Yu at Kaiser Permanente in Fresno works with a lot of young athletes. The Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon said it's best for kids to ease their body back into proper condition slowly.

"Get yourself ready for that Fall season, but do it gradually," said Dr. Yu. "You don't want to kind of jump in and go 110% right away."

He said the body needs to get back into the rhythm of athletic activity.

"I think generally, you want to stretch," said Dr. Yu. "You want to hydrate again. Especially if you're doing an outdoor sport, you want to condition your body right."

With the return of Friday night football, parents, teammates and coaches should be on the lookout for any signs of head injuries, like a concussion.

But there's also a risk for what's known as a Second Impact Syndrome.

Dr. Yu explained that's when a second head injury happens before the first one is resolved.

"What happens there is the brain has not recovered, you have a second impact to the head," said Dr. Yu. "That causes something we call cerebral edema, and that is brain swelling that sometimes will lead to death. It's really important to take these symptoms and all of this seriously."

Symptoms of a concussion include headache, nausea or vomiting, vision changes, feeling like you're in a fog and even forgetfulness, just to name a few.

Doctors stress that athletes should not return to the game until their injury is healed.

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