2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 10,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 17 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

The Stigma of the Concussion

We have talked about before the stigma of a concussion and “being weak” or whatever. For a long time, those in athletics did not understand a concussion and so it was just pushed off. Over the last several years, the medical community has continued to learn more and more about traumatic brain injuries and we’ve brought that into the athletic community as well.

Unfortunately I have seen some things that bother me as we continue to better educate ourselves and those around us. The researchers dealing with concussions, and the aftermath, on a daily basis are providing great insight but they also recognize we are nowhere near ready to have “all the answers.” Meanwhile, those who are less educated are being more vocal and that is discouraging. Two examples of that would be the Kansas City Chiefs player who shot his girlfriend and then himself a few weeks ago and most recently the former baseball player who recently committed suicide. Many have been quick to theorize that concussions were the cause of these suicides.

I have great concern what these inferences may do to sports and to our continued research of concussions.

Sports Medicine Team: Team Physicians

I consider sports medicine to be very much a team activity and to provide superior sports medicine, there must be a team of professionals in place to make it happen. In this post, I will address those professionals that I consider crucial for a high school sports medicine team. I will post both the “ideal roles” as well as more realistic roles.

 

I would consider the team physician to be the next most important member of the sports medicine team. He or she provides medical oversight for the team and his or her role may vary depending on the circumstances. In my case, I have two team physicians who are both primary care physicians. They are involved mostly in the administration of pre-participation exams and for varsity football games. These physicians could have a large variety of experience and training. It’s great to have team physicians with a sports medicine background. I would imagine at the high school level, these team physicians will often be primary care physicians or possibly pediatricians. They can also be great from a standpoint of dealing with many general medicine conditions.

I think the “ideal” situation would be for the team physician to make trips into the athletic training room on a weekly basis as well as providing coverage for some of the collision sports. I especially believe it is important to have a team physician available on Friday nights with varsity football. That’s one thing I am very lucky about: I normally have two physicians with me on the sidelines. It is extra support available in case I need it!

Sports Medicine Team: Athletic Trainers

I consider sports medicine to be very much a team activity and to provide superior sports medicine, there must be a team of professionals in place to make it happen. In this post, I will address those professionals that I consider crucial for a high school sports medicine team. I will post both the “ideal roles” as well as more realistic roles.

I’m biased, but this is the most important professional in the sports medicine team. The athletic trainer is the central figure with responsibilities in every facet of sports medicine. Every high school should have at least one athletic trainer if not a team of athletic trainers. The athletic trainers are responsible for six domains of athletic training.

High School Sports Medicine Team

I consider sports medicine to be very much a team activity and to provide superior sports medicine, there must be a team of professionals in place to make it happen. In this series, I will address those professionals that I consider crucial for a high school sports medicine team. I will post both the “ideal roles” as well as more realistic roles. Over the next few weeks, I will address each profession in detail.

Tonight I have provided a brief outline of the series. I consider these individuals very important to providing the best care to the student-athlete.

• Certified Athletic Trainer(s)
• Team Physician
• Orthopedic Surgeon
• Primary Care Physician
• Dentist
• Physical Therapist
• Strength and Conditioning Coach
• School Nurse
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Please check back each week as I explain why I believe each of these professions is important in providing superior care to our student-athletes at the high school level.

Little Eyes are Watching You

Little eyes are watching you

There are little eyes upon you and they’re watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager to do anything you do;
And a little boy who’s dreaming of the day he’ll be like you.