Helicopter parenting, from good intentions to poor outcomes. What parents needs to know?

Background: A single child is precious for every parent. There is an increasing demand for children to perform and to excel in all aspects of their lives. Due to increased unemployment and less job opportunities, tough competition to get admission in good school and college and to get respectable job put every parent under constant stress. These circumstances lead to parents starting micromanagement of their children. This micromanagement can be harmful to the mental and emotional wellbeing of the child, and is especially seen in single-child parents. Objective: This study aimed to ascertain if parents of single child show behavior of helicopter parenting as compared to patents having more than one child. Methods: This is an open-ended observational study, wherein 100 families with single child and 50 families with more than one child were interviewed based on self-explanatory questionnaire methods. Results: We noted that 83% parents showed behavior of helicopter parenting, especially those who have single child as compared to those having more than one child. Conclusion: Based on our survey, we can conclude that parents of single child showed behavior of helicopter parenting as compared to patents having more than one child because only child is precious and center of attraction in the families especially in Indian culture. However, large studies are required to reach a definitive conclusion.

Comparative study of role of physiotherapy alone versus physiotherapy combined with yoga in rehabilitation after a sports injury. What can a primary physician offer?

Background: Posttraumatic rehabilitation of sports injuries involves physiotherapy. Additionally, nonsurgical treatment of sports injuries involves regular physiotherapy as a major treatment therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of yoga in addition to regular physiotherapy on these patients. Materials and Methods: In the present comparative study, we evaluated the effects of regular physiotherapy alone versus physiotherapy combined with yoga on 212 patients following various knee injuries treated nonsurgically. The study was conducted after obtaining hospital ethical, committee clearance, and written informed consent from patients. The patients were assigned into two groups: group C (Conventional) and group Y (Yoga group). The patients in the regular group received physiotherapy rehabilitation program, whereas the yoga group received additional yoga once every day by a yoga expert during their hospital stay. We provided written guidelines and photographs of the yoga asanas and instructed to perform them 3 days/week once they were home. The data on WOMAC score were collected at 6 weeks, 3 months, and at 6 months from the day of discharge from the hospital. Results: We noted that the yoga group patients showed a significant improvement (P < 0.05) in all modalities like pain, stiffness, and function subscales of the WOMAC scale. They experienced significant reduction in pain and stiffness compared with the regular or conventional group on the seventh postinjury day, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after the initial injury. Conclusion: In this study, a combination of regular physiotherapy and yoga provided better functional outcomes than physiotherapy alone.