More than 3.5 million youth 14 and younger receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year.

The school sports season is in full swing. Whether your child is the football team quarterback or a star swimmer, he’s at risk for a sports injury. Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care centers throughout Florida are on standby to diagnose and treat your child’s injury and get him back on the field, the courts, the track, etc. quickly and safely.

According to sports statisticians with organizations like Safe Kids USA, the National Center for Sports Safety and the Yale Medical Group:

• More than 3.5 million youth 14 and younger receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year;
• Injuries sustained in sports and recreational activities account for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injury among U.S. children, and although rare, the leading cause of death from a sports-related injury is a brain injury;
• Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries;
• 62 percent of sports related injuries occur during practices rather than during games - yet, a third of parents admit they rarely take the same safety precautions during their children’s practices that they do for a game.
• Nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students are overuse injuries (occurring from repeated motion over time).

Many of these injuries can be avoided by taking the recommended safety precautions including adequately stretching before a game, wearing or using the right safety equipment, undergoing proper training and conditioning, and getting sufficient rest after an injury.

Traumatic or life threatening injuries or conditions such as strokes, heat strokes, heart attacks and head injuries involving a loss of consciousness should be treated at an emergency room.  However, if your child suffers a less serious injury such as a sprain or fracture, pulled or strained muscle, cut or severe bruise skip the long wait and costly medical bill you’ll surely get at an emergency room by going to your nearest Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care center. We’re open early morning, late evening and weekend hours with no appointment necessary. Quicker treatment can make the difference in whether your child will be safely back in the game for the next tournament.

If your child hasn’t yet begun a sport, make sure he’s prepared before trying out. Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care centers statewide offer affordable school and sports physicals. You never need an appointment and you can save time by registering online before heading out.

Don't wait - July is a great time to get your kids' school and sports physicals and immunizations at your neareast Solantic Baptist Urgent Care center.

Most school districts nationwide send kids back to the classroom sometime mid- to late August. That makes early August a mad-house of a time period for many urgent care and pediatrics clinics. Busy parents wait until the last minute to get their kids required school and sports physicals and immunizations. Skip the maddening crowds and get your children ready for school early.

July is a great time to make sure your young students are up on their required and recommended immunizations before heading back to the classroom. A list of the required and recommended vaccines at appropriate age levels is available on the Florida Dept. of Health’s website. Vaccine-preventable diseases spread quickly in schools and your child could be sent home if records show that he or she is behind on state or federally mandated vaccines unless you’ve been granted exemption.

July also is prime time for school and sports physicals for the young athlete. Tryouts for school sports teams often happen before school reconvenes in the fall and those who haven’t yet had their physicals and been cleared by a physician could end up sidelined until the next school year or season.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care Centers located throughout Florida offer comprehensive school and sports physicals as well as the complete battery of required and recommended immunizations. You never have to set an appointment, but if you choose to, we make it easier than ever. Register online and a Solantic representative will call or text you when it’s time to head to the center. Take a break, run some errands or finish up your shopping for school clothes and supplies while you wait.

September is Youth Soccer Month! Make sure your young athlete is ready to hit the field with a sports physical at Solantic Baptist Urgent Care. With more than 30 locations throughout Florida, a convenient no-appointment-necessary policy, online registration and affordable pricing, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care has taken the hassle out of sports physicals. Each of our urgent care clinics statewide offers sports physicals for just $35, or $50 if combined with a school physical.

September is Youth Soccer Month! Make sure your child is ready for play with a sports physical at Solantic Baptist Urgent Care.

Our sports physicals are designed to review a young patient’s existing conditions and identify any new or progressed health issues that might require limited or modified participation in certain sports activities. A board-certified urgent care physician will review your child’s full medical history and lifestyle, noting his or her height, weight, blood pressure, pulse and temperature. We’ll also examine your child’s skin, head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, throat, thyroid, chest, heart, lungs, abdomen, liver, spleen, lymphatic system, extremities, pulses, reflexes, spine, neurological system, veins, muscles and joints. And we’ll check your child’s vision and hearing, plus perform a urinalysis. All of this will help ensure that your young athlete is in top physical form and ready to play.

To prep your child for the start of the sports season, find the Solantic Baptist Urgent Care location that’s most convenient for you. Skip wait time by registering online. We’ll call or text you when the doctor is ready to see your child. Don’t forget to complete, sign, print and bring with you customary forms (such as the HIPPA notice, patient financial policy and authorization to treat forms) to save time and ensure a smooth check-in. Call Solantic Baptist Urgent Care at 866-SOLANTIC (765-2684) for more information.

As kids and college students head back to campus, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care and the America Occupational Therapy Association are urging parents and youngsters to pay close attention to the loads of books, school supplies and gadgets they’re carrying in their backpacks. September 16 is National School Backpack Awareness Day and the ATOA is encouraging schools to hold backpack weigh-ins and other awareness events. Studies show that heavy backpacks, unevenly distributed weight loads and backpacks worn incorrectly are notorious for causing long term back and shoulder pain, muscle spasms and torn tendons. Backpacks worn with uneven straps can affect balance, which can result in urgent care needs such as twisted ankles.

A great tell-tale clue for parents: if your child tends to lean forward while wearing his or her backpack, it’s too heavy. Other signs are red marks on the shoulders, muscle spasms and tingling or numbness in the arms. A few tips:

Heavy backpacks, purses and laptop bags can cause neck, shoulder and back problems among other orthpedic health woes.

• Make sure your child is using a backpack that’s right for his size.
• Look for backpacks with pockets that help evenly distribute weight.
• A child’s backpack weight should be no more than 20 percent of his body weight according to the American Society of Orthopedics. The American Physical Therapy Association recommends going even lighter - 10-15 percent.
• Look for backpacks with shoulder straps and make sure the straps are adjusted evenly and tight enough that the backpack doesn’t hang loose - even if your kid complains that it looks “dorky.”
• Take out all unnecessary items, including all those electronic gadgets not allowed at school anyway.
• If your child is loaded down with books, he may have to carry a few by hand. If possible, purchase a second set of text books to keep at home.
• Encourage your child to place books in lockers between classes if time permits.
• Rolling backpacks might be an option if your child does not have to climb stairways to get to class, but can pose a tripping hazard for other students if hallways are overcrowded.
• When packing, make sure that the heaviest books and items are placed closest to your child’s back, as the middle of the back is where the strongest muscles are located.

Of course, these issues aren’t just about school backpacks. Those celebrity-inspired oversized purses and heavy laptop cases also can cause neck, back and shoulder strain. Carrying a heavy purse or bag over one shoulder causes the user to totally shift the body’s stance. Over time, this can shorten the muscles, resulting in a twisted or lop-sided body position. Heavy shoulder bags also strain muscles that exit the neck and continue down the shoulder, which can lead to arthritis. Orthopedic experts recommend minimizing your load, opting for a stylish rucksack instead of a purse or using wearing a long-strapped purse across your body, and using a rolling laptop bag, laptop backpack or contoured laptop bag that fits the shape of your body.

Visit Soltantic Baptist Urgent Care for all your back-to-school health need including school and sports physicals and immunizations.

It’s that time of year again! Summer’s end means back to school, back to the playing field and back to Solantic Baptist Urgent Care for school and sports physicals. Whether your littlest is packing his SpongeBob backpack for his first day in kindergarten or your high schooler is psyched about wearing her varsity jacket and taking the volleyball team all the way to nationals this year, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care is ready for you with convenient and affordable school and sports physicals.

Make sure your student athlete is ready to take on the competition with school and sports physicals at your nearest Solantic Baptist Urgent Care center.

Each of our urgent care clinics throughout Florida offers school physicals and sports physicals each for $35 or a combined school/sports physical for $50. These exams are designed to review a patient’s existing conditions and identify any new health issues that could require modified participation in certain school or sports activities. Our board certified physicians and highly experienced medical staff will review your young student/athlete’s full medical history and lifestyle, noting height, weight, blood pressure pulse and temperature. We’ll examine the skin, head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, throat, thyroid, chest, heart, lungs, abdomen, liver, spleen, lymphatic system, extremities, pulses, reflexes, spine, neurological system, veins, muscles and joints. And we’ll perform tests for vision, urinalysis and audiogram (hearing). We also offer back-to-school immunizations, so you can get all your school and sports-related medical needs handled in one convenient and affordable visit.

Solantic’s walk-in urgent care clinics have taken the hassle out of school physicals and sports physicals by offering a no-appointment-necessary policy. For those who want to skip any wait time, we also offer online registration for school physical and sports physical appointments. Just choose the location that’s most convenient for you and complete and submit the online registration form. We’ll give you a call or send you a text message when the doctor is ready to see you. Don’t forget to complete, sign, print and bring with you customary forms (such as the HIPPA notice, patient financial policy and authorization to treat forms) to save even more time. Call Solantic Baptist Urgent Care at 866-SOLANTIC (765-2684) for more information.