But before you start playing sports for schoolchildren, you must definitely visit a local doctor's child. Especially if he is on the verge of adolescence. The question arises: what should the child's heart be for sports? And, more importantly, how should it not be? These questions will be answered only by a specialist. The doctor will listen to the child's heart, send it to an electrocardiogram (ECG), and, if necessary, prescribe other types of examination. It should be noted that not all are born for a big sport. Sports and general physical activities are contraindicated in children with chronic diseases, such as bronchial asthma, stomach ulcer, kidney disease, joints. And with diseases of the cardiovascular system, including congenital heart diseases, even small loads can lead to irreparable consequences. Great physical activity is contraindicated in the presence of foci of chronic infection in the child, such as chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis, multiple caries. Even after a banal viral infection, children can not exercise for two to three weeks, hand over standards, take part in cross-country rallies, etc.
Very often, seeing an electrocardiogram, the doctor tells parents of school-age children that their child will not be an athlete or that professional sports are contraindicated to him. Why? Yes because ECG of these children have some features. This is a syndrome of early ventricular repolarization, various electrocardiographic ventricular pre-excitation syndromes (WPW syndrome, partial ventricular pre-excitation syndrome, PQ interval short-circuit syndrome). All these syndromes are often complicated by arrhythmias, and the hereditary syndrome of the extended QT interval may be the cause of sudden death. Therefore, children with such characteristics are contraindicated in sports classes and physical overload. That is why it is so important to visit the clinic and make sure that your child does not have such problems.
If the child is going to seriously engage in sports, it is desirable to do not only ECG, but also echocardiography, or ultrasound of the heart. After all, only with ultrasound can reveal prolapses of the heart valves (in particular, mitral valve prolapse, or PMC), functioning oval window (FOO), additional (false) chords in the heart, etc. These so-called small anomalies of heart development are also contraindications for a big sport.
What is a "sports heart"?
The cardiology department periodically receives children of school age who have been playing sports for many years, for which sport is a part of their life. I must say that the heart of an athlete is somewhat different from the heart of a person who does not bother with constant intense physical activity. Already from the first months of training, the heart muscle adapts to the load, which is manifested, in particular, by moderate bradycardia (slowing the rhythm of the heart). At the same time, the child does not feel any discomfort, he does not complain about anything. This condition is called a physiological sporting heart. A child from 11 to 15 years can not quickly adapt to the load, a teenage heart for sports does not really fit. It simply "does not keep pace" with the pace of its growth and development.
Attention: myocardial dystrophy
With insufficient medical control over the training regimen of an athlete and with increasing loads, the so-called border state often develops, which later can go into a pathological sports heart. As a result of excessive loads in the exercise of sports by schoolchildren, there is an overstrain of the organ, which leads to myocardial dystrophy. Here, children begin to complain of pain in the heart, headache, dizziness, periodic weakness, rapid fatigue. Changes on the ECG are revealed, an expansion of the left ventricular cavity can be detected on the ultrasound of the heart, a decrease in its contractile function. One of the unfavorable signs for a young athlete, for example, 11 years is the presence of tachycardia (rapid pulse).
Most school-age children today, unfortunately, do not move much, spend a lot of time behind lessons, at a computer or a TV set. Sometimes they can not be easily "kicked out" into the street, to fresh air. Sometimes abrupt transition from hypodynamia to intensive training also contributes to the development of myocardial dystrophy, or myocardial dystrophy. Conversely, with a sharp cessation of sports activities, pathological changes may also appear. Hence, these moments should also be controlled by a sports doctor.
Today, some of the guys are enjoying classes in gyms, where, imitating idols, they begin to sharply "carry iron" without any control on the part of the coach. You can not allow this! Just in the adolescent period, the body is very vulnerable - the musculoskeletal system, internal organs, including the cardiovascular system as a whole, do not keep up with the growth of the child, they are still not mature enough, not the same as in the adult. And under the influence of large physical exertions in the body there are "breakdowns". Problems begin to arise - the backbone hurts, the heart "shams", the changes on the ECG are revealed. With the diagnosis of "myocardial dystrophy" a teenager is sent to a hospital.
When the training should be delayed
When identifying problems from the heart, the athlete must be removed from training during the examination and treatment. Children-athletes with heavy loads must strictly observe the regime of the day, sleep at least 8-9 hours. It is important to monitor the diet - it should be rational, high in calories, high in protein, minerals, vitamins. Absolutely contraindicated alcohol and nicotine!
In addition, if necessary, the doctor prescribes cardiotrophic drugs that improve nutrition, metabolic processes in the heart muscle. These can be riboxin, mildronate, preductal, ATP and cocarboxylase, multivitamin preparations, potassium preparations, Aevit. Treatment during schoolchildren's sports must last at least a month. Then it is recommended to lower the training regime for another 2-3 months, while keeping the morning exercise, walks. Sports can only be renewed if the identified changes disappear. If these changes persist for 6 months, then you will have to abandon further sports activities. There are many other interesting hobbies. It is necessary to reorientation in time, so that the rejection of sport does not become a tragedy for a child of school age whose heart for sports is simply not created.