INERTIA: A Therapist's Thoughts

Back in October I wrote about an article that I had read documenting the increased number of preseason injuries in the NFL.  They were speculating that the labor dispute may have been a factor due to the shortened season training.

I ended that by suggesting that we may see the same thing in the NBA as well.  I found it pretty interesting a couple of weeks ago that rather than talking about the outcome of the playoff games, all the ESPN talking heads were commenting about was how the shortened schedule may have been a cause of some of the season-ending injuries to some big name stars in the league.

Was I able to tell the future?  If so, it might be the first time in my life.  It is more likely that the sports reporters out there needed something to talk about all day long.  After all, it started after Derrick Rose, the 2010-11 NBA most valuable player, tore his ACL. 

My opinion is that ACL injuries are not usually a wear and tear injury, as was suggested during these discussions. The Brewers lost two starters to ACL injuries last week that happened on freak plays early on in the season, not from wear and tear after a long season. 

I caution people to question the source of information when it comes to injuries and rehabilitation.  Just because someone played professional sports does not make him an expert on rehab.  I hope I can use this blog as an outlet for quality information and recommendations.

We recently had a little Spring Break here at the Sports Medicine Center. No, we didn't head off to Florida for some fun in the sun. This is the time of the year we host our annual Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Medicine Symposium.

It was a great two days of continuing education from some great guest speakers. This year's lecturers included Dr. Elizabeth Arendt from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Robert Dimeff from the University of Texas, Southwestern, and Paul Reuteman, a physical therapist and athletic trainer from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Combined with our own staff presentations, a lot of great information was offered to a large number of attendees this year.

A good portion of the sessions dealt with hip and knee pain, which is something that we see in the clinic on a regular basis. As always, we were able to come away with some very practical tips on treatment to better address these issues with our patients. I have already been able to incorporate some of the exercises into my patients' programs with good results.

As with other spring breaks, it's great to get back in the clinic more energized with new information and ideas. I'm already looking forward to next year's symposium.

One of the more common injuries we see in the Sports Medicine Center is ACL tears of the knee. A lot of interesting research has been done on the topic, and there are plenty of continuing education courses dedicated to rehab following the reconstructive surgery. Many physical therapists will also debate when it is best to allow someone to return to sports.

I just came across an interesting article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that looked at how many people following ACL surgery return to playing his or her sport. The reason this caught my eye was that it discussed other factors we don't always address in PT. Ninety percent of the participants showed good functional outcomes, but many of those cited other reasons for why they didn't return to playing sports. Those included psychosocial issues like fear of reinjury, unable to take leave from work if reinjured, changes in living situations, etc. It is great we have improved the post operative rehab to have 90% returning to normal, but surprising so many choose not to return to competitive sports.

These non-biomechanical factors seem to be appearing more in research for all areas. Previously it was more often discussed relating to low back pain. Perhaps there is something more that needs to be included in the rehab process to make sure our patients have the confidence to return to their activities as desired.

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So Christmas has come and gone with no snow on the ground.  The temperatures are up, which has made many people very happy.  There are some who are even taking advantage of the (somewhat) warmer days to go play some golf.

Normally this is the time of the year where we take a break from hitting the course and can spend time hitting the gym instead to get our bodies ready for a full summer of golfing.

If you are interested in finding out some stretches and exercises to help improve your golf performance, come join us at the Sports Medicine Center on Jan. 18.  Paul Mindel, a golf professional from the National Golf Center, along with Mike Ribar and me from the Sports Medicine Center, will be talking on this topic.

Here are the details:

When:	Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012
Where:	Froedtert Sports Medicine Center 8700 W. Watertown Plank Road Milwaukee, WI 53226
Cost:	Free

Please call Mike Ribar at 414-805-7114 to reserve your spot as seating is limited.

I have several friends who have a holiday tradition of getting a good workout in before they sit down for the big feast. I guess it's their way of justifying the overindulgence on food that occurs throughout the day. 

For all of you who have similar traditions of a Turkey Bowl football game with family and friends, or even if you are just going to go for a short run, remember that the temperatures are a little cooler so it might not be a bad idea to do a little warm up and stretching session beforehand. 

Hopefully, you then can enjoy the holiday weekend, (and not end up on one our schedules with an injury next week).