What factors predict recovery time for an athlete who has suffered a concussion? A new study has some answers. As the Stanford University authors wrote, “Prognosticating recovery times for individual athletes with a concussion remains a challenge for health care providers.
Professional baseball players are likely to return to sport after a meniscectomy, according to a new study. The study, “Performance and Return to Sports After Meniscectomy in Professional Baseball Players,” was published online on February 11, 2022, in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Welcome back to the second half of our series on getting back-to-school ready – on the courts and fields and courses, that is! In part 1, we discussed how getting participation clearance from your child’s pediatrician or family practice physician is paramount in making sure that your student is healthy enough to participate in school sports. We also looked at the benefits of visiting with the school/team trainer about proper strengthening and training methods, as well as remembering to set realistic, attainable training goals for the pre-season.
Start early and set goals. Obviously, this holds true for everyone, regardless of age. The earlier you start preparing the easier your transition into the season will be. Thinking that you can “wing it” and simply jump in at the last minute can be a recipe for disaster. Make sure that you’re setting specific (and realistic) goals for each week during the off-season to ensure that you’re at your peak in terms of your own personal best. This means that, if you want to train for cross country, for example, come up with a plan for both daily and weekly running goals, increasing your distances slowly and steadily so as to not cause any sort of overuse injury that could potentially sideline you for the actual competitive season.
Before we go any further, let’s start with the basics – what is a concussion? According to the CDC, a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head (or via a hit to the body) that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. This type of fast movement can cause the brain to “bounce around” in the skull which, in turn, can create chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging the brain cells.
Osgood-Schlatter Disease is very common in adolescents, especially during puberty and growth spurts. During these growth spurts, the rapid growth of the quadriceps and tibial tubercle-located on the Tibia (shinbone) and where the patella is connected—causes the patellar tendon to stretch. These rapid changes paired with the sports and activity levels of adolescents can lead to inflammation of growth plate, further pulling the lengthening of the patellar tendon.
Multiple studies published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons highlighted key factors parents and coaches need to consider when addressing youth sports. These studies established two major takeaways that can’t be ignored: the frequency of certain injuries vary by sex and single-sport athletes are more susceptible to injury than their multi-sport peers.
During his induction weekend, Dr. Byington was profiled by legendary Nebraska broadcaster Dick Janda about his time at NWU and how it feels to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Overuse injuries are common in track athletes of any sport, but especially athletes who engage in sports, or a particular sport, year-round. This is common in high school athletes who jump straight from one sport to another, as track practice usually begins a week after the conclusion of winter sports. The NSAA has rules requiring rest from back-to-back sports seasons, but one week is not always enough, even for the most gifted athletes. Plus, many athletes still train intensely in their own time during this required rest period.
Proper rest is vital to any athlete’s physical conditioning. Athletes should schedule out at least one day of rest each week to fully recover from the previous week’s rigorous practice and competition.
