INERTIA: A Therapist's Thoughts

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).

As I was watching football games this last Sunday, I saw another player on my fantasy football team go down with an obvious injury. While I didn't now exactly what he had done, I knew right away it was a serious one and he likely would not be playing again anytime soon. 

I started complaining to my wife (as if she cares about my fantasy football team) that there seem to be so many injuries in the NFL this year. Am I the only one who has been noticing this?

Well, apparently not.  The newest edition of the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy has an article about the impact of the NFL lockout on the increase in Achilles injuries so far this year. 

I found this really interesting and wonder if we will see the same situation happen with the NBA if they end up having a season this year. Check it out for yourself.

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Now that football has started up again, our athletic trainers are not in the clinic as much, and instead are out at their schools covering athletic events. One of the big things that will keep them busy this fall is screening athletes for concussions.

I just wanted to write something to remind people that concussions and head injuries have the chance to become very serious, and it is important to pay close attention to these situations. If an athlete has suffered a head injury, then he or she should not return to the game, even if it seems like he or she is fine a few minutes later. They need to be checked out and cleared by a medical professional to prevent further damage.

Our athletic trainers are awesome and very knowledgeable so it is great to have them out on the field when injuries happen, but they can't be at every event. Therefore, it is on all of us as coaches and parents also to make sure we are protecting these young athletes so that they do not have a more serious injury.

Please feel free to contact our clinic if you have any questions.

Summer is here in the Sports Medicine Center which means we have a lot more young athletes in the clinic either rehabbing injuries or starting PEP programs to get ready for the fall sports season. 

Most of the time, these kids come in with concerned parents who have plenty of questions about their child's injury and what they can do to prevent it from happening again. One common question we get is what age is appropriate for starting weight training.

When I was a kid growing up, most people felt you shouldn't start weight lifting until after puberty. It was thought that starting too soon could stunt your growth. 

Current research has not found any evidence to support that thinking. Instead, they are finding the biggest risk for injury is improper technique. With that in mind, the National Strength and Conditioning Association's recommendations on resistance training for youth revolves first and foremost around qualified supervision and instruction. The goal should be to teach youth about their bodies, and get kids excited about physical activity along with increasing muscle strength.

Below are some guidelines from the NSCA on starting resistance training once the above criteria are met:

1. A child may be ready to do resistance training once they have the emotional maturity to accept and follow directions. This usually is around age 7-8 when they are in other sport activities.
   
   
2. Begin with two days per week performing one set of 10-15 repetitions. Focus on the major muscle groups to build confidence before advancing.
   
   
3. Eventually work towards performing 1-3 sets of 6-15 repetitions with a variety of exercises 2-3 days per week on nonconsecutive days.

I hope this helps if you're trying to decide when to start some resistance training with your children.

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The following is feedback received for this blog: Griffin, If my memory is correct, there was a very young kid that lifted weights like crazy. I think they called him "little hurcules". What ever happened to him? Does he have any side effects from lifting so early? Thanks Richard