Ridin' Durty

Today I went to Kim's training room, we had discussed me coming to the girls lacrosse game. When I got down to the high school the sun was shining, and it was a great temperature. I saw Kim on the track, and of about 10 minutes of sitting the sun went down, and it was time to bundle up. How'd we get back to the high school you ask? Well we of course rode the gold cart back to the training room....dream come true!!!!!! Their weren't many athletes coming to Kim to get taped, seeing as the lacrosse didn't have many injuries. Their had been some previous injuries that needed to be dealt with, and just random athletes asking for ice, and advice on the injury at hand. Besides the tough life of outdoor sports, we provided all the water necessary, and kept a close eye on the field. My next experience, as Kim promised, will surely be more exciting.

Class

Today in class we discussed the upcoming events retaining to our WISE project. Ms. G dropped the bomb on us that we only have 5 more classes left with each other.....then the rest is history. Just kidding, after those 5 classes the preparation for the actual presentation starts, and the real tough work gets going. We next talked about the article Get A Grip and Set Your Sights Above Adversity. This article discussed the meaning of resilience, which I thought closely tied into the word adversity. "People who lack resilience are often less able to rise above adversity, and learn from their mistakes and move on". I really enjoyed this quote because I thought it relates to the WISE experience greatly, and many students could learn from this advice. Lastly, we got our task force journal review back, and mine was pleasantly filled with positive feedback. My reviewer gave me an idea to include some kind of chronicle of a sport injury including cause, treatment, recovery, etc. I will definitely take this advice into consideration with my upcoming presentation.

My Future is looking Bright!

As my dad was reading the New York Times Magazine, he stumbled upon a wonderful article for me. Athletic Training has been named #10 in the list of up and coming jobs in the country. Read and enjoy!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/education/edlife/edl-17conted-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Plan for the Week- 4/24

Monday- Talk to Kim about upcoming sporting events

Tuesday- Class

Wednesday-Mentor Meeting

Thursday-Cornell if hours work, Kim's?.....Research-Stim Therapy Machine

Friday- Research Research!

Back to work.....

Welp....looks like Spring Break has come to an end, and my feelings towards going back to school are in the category of beyond negative. But I have a job at hand, and it's time to hit the WISE blogs again on the daily.
I left off at the topic of Contusions..and that's where I will pick up!

What is a contusion?
-Commonly called a bruise, a crush injury to tissue beneath the skin.
-Caused by striking the body with a large force
-The greater the impact, the greater the tissue damage.
-If close to a bone, the bone itself can be also be contused.
-Results in large swelling, damages tissue cells and capillaries. The blood and waste products leak into an area in the skin, producing the "black and blue" discoloration.
-If a bone is punctured, this specific spot will be very tender for a large period of time.

Treatment
-RICE is offered to curing a contusion- Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
-Athlete should be removed from activity, "running off" this injury can only cause more harm, and could increase bleeding in the contused area.
-Athletes with minor contusions will be able to return to play quickly. On the other hand, serious contusions may impair an athlete for months at a time.
-If athlete has full range of motion, and full-strength=safe to return to activity.

Protection
-Pads of different design can provide protection. For example, an athlete that falls down repeatedly should wear kneepads.
-Custom pads are also available to some, for protection of the contused area.

http://www.skylinehospital.com/pt/Sports/Articles/Contusions/contusions.htm

Mentor Meeting

Yesterday I met with Mrs.Bryant in the swimming pool area, where she had to supervise and had a nice chat. I told her that I had visited Kim and took pictures of the athletes, and their trainers. She was pretty pleased with my progress, and suggested I keep going their at least twice a week, and obviously attending different sports games. She thought the picture idea, and even the video taping was a great idea, and would be fun to watch. She also added that when I filmed in the training room I could get 3 different aspect of Athletic Training..........1.) the diagnosis, telling the athlete what the problem is. 2.) The taping, or prevention before or after the sporting event. 3.) The rehabilitation process, and strength-building exercises. I felt that was a brilliant idea, and I will surely be persueing that thought. Next week, I'll be heading up to Cornell, and asking some college athletes questions which I will be preparing this weekend!


A couple of sneak peak pictures will be up soon!

Hectic/Madness

Today I went into Kim's training room today to take pictures of athlete-trainer relationships, and of course it was bustling with spring sport athletes. Each athlete came in, and it seemed as though the whole track team was in the training room. I did capture some good pictures, but promised Kim I would be coming back soon. She nicely offered for me to come back anytime, and to definitely come to any games I would want. That felt really nice to have a solid invitation to come back whenever I please!

Tomorrow I will be having a mentor meeting to talk about my progress with Janie B!

"Outta da Rut" Journal Entry

PLANNING:

7 things I want to accomplish in the next week
1.) Go to a sporting event
2.) Attend Kim's training room at least 2 times a week
3.) Contact 2 other professionals in the sports medicine field
4.) Learn how to tape an ankle, or another easy tape job, better than I know now
5.) Take pictures of training room activities, and games
6.) Record videos of training room activities, and games
7.)Keep going steady on my research

5 things I should talk to about my project
1.) Video Camera
2.) Good quality camera
3.) Physical Therapist at Island Health and Fitness
4.) Cornell Trainers: Keep in contact with Bernie DePalma
5.) Ithaca College Trainers: Dad's friend?

3 things I should talk to my mentor about
1.) My end goal of my project, the results
2.) The main picture, overview of my project
3.) Game schuedules and practices for all sports teams

7 things I want or need to know more about
1.) Physical therapy aspect of the sports medicine field
2.) Rehabilitation
3.) More injury specific research
4.) Instructions for various taping jobs
5.) Video editing for training room footage.....ask alexi or other film makers to edit it?
6.) Trends in the Athletic Training field
7.) More info on sports specific injuries, and college vs. highschool injuries

Plan for the Week- 4/11

Monday- CLASS!!!!

Tuesday- Research, Contusions/ Kim's?

Wednesday- Mentor Meeting, Lax Game?

Thursday- Cornell athlete questionnaire

Friday- Kim's?, more research!

Post Birthday Research: Muscle Spasms

So to continue my birthday weekend celebrations what could be better than some research!!!!

What is a muscle spasm?
-Cramp or involuntary contraction of a muscle.
-Occur suddenly, usually resolve quickly, and are painful.
-Confused with a muscle twitch, which is uncontrolled fine movement of a small segment of a larger muscle that can be seen under the skin.


Causes?
-Many causes can be found, depends on the previous factors one undergoes, and areas involved.
-Occur when a muscle is overused or tired, particularly if it's held in the same position for a long period of time.
-The muscle cell runs out of energy and fluid and becomes hyperexcitable and develops a large contraction. This could include part of a muscle, the whole muscle, or even adjacent muscles.
-Overuse as a cause of muscle spasms is common, often seen in athletes doing strenuous activity in a hot environment.
-Spasms seen in construction workers are also common, which occurs when a large muscle is being over worked.
-Dehydration and a depletion of electrolytes has been said to be a leading cause in muscle spasms.
-Leg spasms are related to exercise, but cramps at night involving toe and calf muscles. Nocturnal leg cramps are often seen as a sign of sleep disturbance.
-Systematic diseases such as anemia, diabetes, kidney disease, thyroid disease, and other hormone issues are potential causes of muscle spasms.

Symptoms
-Depend on the muscle involved, and circumstances leading up to the spasm.
-Bulging muscle may be seen or felt underneath the skin where the muscle is located.
-The spasm resolves itself within seconds, but could continue on for minutes at a time.
-Momentary repetitive contraction of muscle fibers in a localized area.


Treatment
-Keep well hydrated.
-Muscles should be prepared for activity, warm-up, stretch, etc.
-Short-term pain relief, anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen), narcotics, muscle relexants.

http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_spasms/page5.htm

Article News!

 My dad had given me a copy of the Sunday New York Times, and inside was an article on ACL injuries. Not only was this perfect, but it was very informative reporting on one of the best teams in the nation-UCONN Women's Basketball, who recently took a devastating loss in the Final Four of the Womens National Championship. Below is a link to the article, hope you enjoy!




http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/sports/ncaabasketball/27acl.html

Mentor Meeting

Today I met with Janie during 5th period, it was really nice to see her after being in NYC for a long time. I talked to her how I felt that I haven't been doing much hands-on work. I told her that it's been hard getting up to Cornell because their treatment time is usually during the day, when I have class. I know difficulties were coming along the way, but I'm going to keep trying to get up there at least a couple times, and hopefully more. Mrs.Bryant gave me a helpful sheet of when home games of IHS sports are so I can help Kim out in anything she wants, but when the weather gets nicer:) I also need to talk to Kim about taking pictures of her taping athletes, and maybe getting some video footage for my presentation.

Unfinished Business, Sprains

What is a sprain? vs. a strain?

-Sprain is a injury of joints caused by being stretched beyond their capacity, or even more. An injury to a ligament, usually torn.

-Ankle or knee sprains are the most commonly seen injuries....and swelling is often quick along with rapid pain.

-Strain is a injury to a muscle or tendon. A strain is resulted in a stretch or a tear in a muscle or tendon.

Causes

-"Twisted ankle" is the most commonly seen sprain, seen in hiking and Basketball, volleyball, football, gymnastics. These injuries usually occur while running or landing. People will fall on an uneven surface (or another players foot), and roll their foot to the inside.

-Thus stretches the ligaments on the ankle. specifically known as the talofibular and calcaenofibular ligaments.

-Sprains are graded due to the extent of the injury, and are classified on a grade system. These grades range from 1-3.

-Sprains can also occur from daily activities such as slip on ice, a fall on your wrist, or jamming a finger. Repetitive activities also cause a sprain or a strain. 

"Preventions", Tips to Avoiding Injury

-Stretch before working out

-Wear proper footwear

-Warm up properly before activities

-Do not run on icy or uneven surfaces

Symptoms

-Pain, swelling, and occasional bruising near the site of the injury.

-Symptoms increase as the injury intensifies.

-More tears can cause an inability to use the affected joint and may lead to joint instability.

-Less serious injuries may only cause pain with movement.

"At first, treatment of both sprains and strains usually involves resting the injured area, icing it, wearing a bandage or device that compresses the area, and medicines. Later treatment might include exercise and physical therapy."

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sprainsandstrains.html

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/a/sprain.htm

Back in Ithaca- Week Plan (a little late)

Although I've been gone this whole weekend, and got back late tomorrow I've still been working!!!!
I did miss class, and plan on going to Ms. Gergely and talking to her about what I missed...My plan for this week are as follows. I also got an E-mail from Bernie DePalma alerting me of practice times, but they all seem to be during my classes. I'm going to ask for next week schedule and hopefully it'll be accessible for me to come.

Tuesday-Continue Research, finish Sprain. (shadow at track meet?)
Wednesday-Mentor Meeting
Thursday- New Research, Muscle Spasms
Friday- NEW ADDITION! Article of the week!