Health blog Category: Sports Injuries
Signs and Symptoms of Concussions
Most people think that in order to have a concussion you must “black out” or lose consciousness, however this is not as common as people think. There are many other signs and symptoms of a concussion. The key to treating concussions, is being able to identify them early on to avoid further injury to our brains.
Some common symptoms following a brain injury include but are not limited to:
- Headache · Pressure in Head
- Neck Pain · Nausea or Vomiting
- Dizziness · Blurred Vision
- Balance Problems · Sensitivity to Light
- Sensitivity to Noise · Confusion
- Difficulty Remembering
- Fatigue or Low Energy
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Trouble sleeping
- More Emotional
- Irritability
- Sadness
- Nervous or Anxious
If you or your athlete experience any of these symptoms, seek treatment right away.
Read full blogJourney to Becoming a Certified Athletic Trainer
What are Certified Athletic Trainers?
Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled health care professionals who render service or treatment, under the direction of or in collaboration with a physician, in accordance with their education, training and the state’s statutes, rules and regulations. As a part of the health care team, services provided by athletic trainers include primary care, injury and illness prevention, wellness promotion and education, emergent care, examination and clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. The NATA Code of Ethics states the principles of ethical behavior that should be followed in the practice of athletic training.
Read full blogRepetitive Motions and Elbow Conditions
Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow are both overuse injuries that are caused by any activity that requires repetitive motion of the arm and wrist. Repetitive motions using forehand/backhand are common in cooks, painters, carpenters, plumbers or computer/mouse work. Either one of these conditions can also develop from everyday chores such as raking, gardening, chopping wood, or shoveling. Both of these conditions are forms or epicondylitis, which is a medical term for inflammation of a tendon that attaches to bone (Epicondyle) of the elbow joint.
Common symptoms of Tennis Elbow/Lateral Epicondylitis include:
- Pain that radiates from the outside of your elbow and down your forearm and wrist
- Tenderness on the outside of your elbow (May be constant or present with activity)
- Weakness in your forearm or a weak grip
- Pain when reaching, lifting or when you grip things, twist something or, if you play tennis, (especially with backhand strokes)
- Pain when you extend your wrist
Common symptoms of Golfer’s Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis include:
- Pain and tenderness on the inside of your elbow
- Pain that radiates down your arm from the inside of your elbow
- Weakness in your hand or wrist
- Numbness or tingling in your ring and little fingers
- Pain when you grip or twist things as is common in the golf swing
- Pain when you flex your wrist
The Solution?
Read full blogOveruse Injury in Our Elbow
Medial epicondylitis, is the fancy medical word for “Golfer’s Elbow” or “Pitcher’s Elbow.”
What is Golfer’s Elbow?
This overuse injury is characterized by pain on the inside of the elbow that can radiate into the forearm. It occurs when inflammation affects the tendons that connect the forearm to the elbow. Golfer’s elbow usually occurs from repetitive gripping, flexing, or rotating the wrist as seen in golfers or pitchers, but can affect anyone who repetitively uses their hands, wrists, forearms, or elbows.
How to Treat “Golfer’s Elbow”
This condition can usually go away with rest, ice, and possible bracing.
Read full blogBenefits of Participating In Multiple Sports
There are many benefits for athletes participating in multiple sports, even beginning at an early age. Recruiters are looking at kids as early as grade school, and they prefer recruiting kids that are involved in multiple sports. Recruiters believe these athletes gain a competitive edge, and are more accessible to recruit.
Why Participate in Multiple Sports?
Athletes participating in multiple sports have shown many benefits including:
- Improved overall health and wellness
- Decreased injury rates
- Improved athletic performance
- Improved leadership skills and teamwork
- Better attendance in school and academic performance
Participating in multiple sports can reduce injury rates because these athletes use a variety of movements that can limit the occurrences of overuse injuries associated with one sport.
Read full blogAnkle Weakness
Overall ankle weakness can lead to a number of injuries, not only with the ankle joint specifically but it can lead to injuries at other joints such as the knee and also down into the foot. Typical ankle sprains (also known as “rolling” your ankle) can occur if the muscles on the medial and lateral side of our ankles are weak.
Ankle weakness can also contribute to over-pronation of the foot which can lead to injuries such as plantar fasciitis.
Guide to Better Running
The way we run is a matter of energy and efficiency. We may ask ourselves how some people can run farther, faster and make it seem effortless. The trick is in how their body moves.
Our Body When Running
Our body is like a spring; it stores energy at one point in our stride and releases it to move forward. If our body is strong, flexible, and coordinated, our muscles and tendons act like elastic bands.
Read full blogEffects of Entering the Season De-Conditioned
The two most common reasons people sustain injuries when they rush back into a sport or exercise program too quickly, are training errors and technique errors. Rushing into the season or training program without proper progressive training our body will not be ready to endure the stress and we can end up with an injury that could have been prevented.
Are you ready to try-out for that spring sport or ramp-up your training routine?
The Importance of Strength in Athletes
Why Strength is Important
For athletes being stronger will help them experience a significant decrease in potential for injury. It will also allow them to experience an overall greater ease of activity and movement with everything they do. Typically, there will be no immediate effect to having weakness in a particular muscle in your body. The effects are usually more long term in the sense that “weakness” or lack of proper strength in an area, results in excess friction on the bones in the joint, excessive wear and tear on tendons and cartilage around a joint, and more.
Setting up a Strengthening Program
This all starts with knowing what muscles to work and how to work them correctly.
Read full blogShoulder Overuse Injuries
The shoulder is a very mobile joint due to its ball and socket design which gives it a large range of movement. So…it needs to be stabilized by all the muscles and ligaments that surround the joint. Many factors can result in these muscles and ligaments being over worked including:
- Weakness
- Fatigue or muscle endurance limitations
- Over training
- Poor technique with stroke (especially freestyle)
- Tightness
Over time injuries such as swimmer’s shoulder, rotator cuff impingement, and tendinitis occur.
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