Dr Carolyn Broderick provides practical examples of the type of physical exercise that is feasible in children with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, mitochondrial myopathy, haemophilia, or after an organ transplantation. She also discusses the risk of injury during the growth spurt and how to best avoid these injuries.

Dr Broderick, MBBS, FACSP, PhD, is a staff specialist in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Australia. She was Medical Director of the Australian Team for the Youth Olympic Games in 2014 and Team Physician for the Australian Team at the Sydney 2000 and London 2012 Olympic Games. She is a member of the Australian Olympic Committee Medical Commission and Deputy Medical Director for the Australian Olympic Team in Rio 2016. Her research interests include injury surveillance in youth sport and physical activity in children with chronic disease.

Further Reading:
Fundamental movement skills, physical fitness and physical activity among Australian children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Hulsegge G, Henschke N, …Broderick C, et al.
J Paediatr Child Health. 2015 Apr;51(4):425-32. doi: 10.1111/jpc.12733.
http://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440%2812%2900661-5/abstract

Low back pain in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of conservative interventions.
Michaleff ZA, Kamper SJ, Maher CG, Evans R, Broderick C, Henschke N.
Eur Spine J. 2014 Oct;23(10):2046-58. doi: 10.1007/s00586-014-3461-1.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00586-014-3461-1

A feasibility study of the effect of intra-articular corticosteroid injection on isokinetic muscle strength in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
McKay D, Ostring G, Broderick C, Chaitow J, Singh-Grewal D.
Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2013 May;25(2):221-37. Epub 2013 Mar 15.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23504857

Evaluation and management of bleeding risks with athletic activities in children with hemophilia.
Broderick C.
Clin Adv Hematol Oncol. 2013 Jan;11(1):46-7. No abstract available.
Mol Cancer. 2013 Feb 1;12:7. doi: 10.1186/1476-4598-12-7.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23416863

Association between physical activity and risk of bleeding in children with hemophilia.
Broderick CR, Herbert RD, Latimer J, Barnes C, Curtin JA, Mathieu E, Monagle P, Brown SA.
JAMA. 2012 Oct 10;308(14):1452-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.12727.
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1377921

Patterns of physical activity in children with haemophilia.
Broderick CR, Herbert RD, Latimer J, van Doorn N.
Haemophilia. 2013 Jan;19(1):59-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2516.2012.02904.x.

The International Olympic Committee Consensus statement on age determination in high-level young athletes.
Engebretsen L, Steffen K, Bahr R, et al. Br J Sports Med. 2010 Jun;44(7):476-84. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2010.073122. No abstract available. Erratum in: Br J Sports Med. 2010 Aug;44(10):770. http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/7/476.extract