Sunday, March 28, 2010

Shin Splints













I was looking up "Common Lacrosse Injuries" on Google and I came across a link that led me to a forum. This girl was writing a paper for her Athletic Training class and he had to research Common Lacrosse Injuries. So she asked what the most common ones were. I looked over the list and the one that kept coming up was shin splints. So, I figured I would start there.

Shin splints are defined as pain along the front or inside edge of the shinbone (tibia). They are common among athletes who run and jump. Pain along the front of the tibia is called anterior shin splints, while pain along the inside of the tibia is called posterior shin splints.

Shin splints are usually the result of overuse. If an athlete hasn't trained in a while or hasn't done the exact thing that they are asked to do in a while, chances are they are going to get shin splints. Repeated movements of the foot can lead to the tibialis muscles pulling away from the bone. The injured muscle and the bone covering may become inflamed.

Anterior shin splints tend to happen to people who take up a new activity like jogging, sprinting or an activity that requires sudden starting and stopping. Running downhill can lead to and even bigger effect because the muscles in the lower leg have to control the planting of the foot which is more difficult when running downhill. People who run on the balls of their feet or who don't have good running shoes likely have a big problem with anterior shin splints.

Posterior shin splints likely result from imbalances in the leg and foot. Muscle imbalances from a tight calf muscle can lead to this problem. One major cause of posterior shin splints is having flat feet. As the foot flattens out, the posterior tibialis muscle gets stretched and will tug on its connection to the bone. The attachment eventually becomes damaged, leading to irritation; posterior shin splints.

A stress fracture in the tibia can have many of the same symptoms as shin splints, so it can be hard to differentiate between the two. A stress fracture is a crack in a weakened area of the bone. Continual stress from running on hard surfaces or from heavy strain on the muscles can lead to tibial stress fractures. People with shin pain who try to work through it can often develop a stress fracture.

One big issue surrounding shin splints is compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome is when pressure from muscle damage and swelling builds up in a certain "compartment" of the body. As the pressure builds, the capillaries that bring blood to the area are squeezed shut. When the blood is not getting to the muscle, it can lead to a pain. like a muscle cramp. If the pressure continues to rise, it can lead to coldness, numbness, and swelling in the lower leg and foot. If the pressure builds up and is not treated, it can cause serious tissue damage in the leg and foot.

When someone is experiencing shin splints, they will often feel a dull ache where the muscles attach to the bone. Redness and swelling can also be found in this area. There might be small bumps or ridges along the part of the leg where the person is experiencing pain.

Diagnosis is usually made through physical examination. Reducing inflammation is the first step to fixing shin splints. This can be done with ice, rest, and taping of the shin. Iontophoresis can be used. It is when a small electrical current is used to push a steroid up the leg into the sore area. Ultrasound treatments and deep tissue massage can also be used.

Surgery is rarely needed to help shin splints. However, shin splints where there is also some compartment syndrome might need surgery, sometimes immediately.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Lax Scrimmage vs. Homer

Today was a Scrimmage for the Lacrosse team. If you don't know what a scrimmage is, it's a game played during preseason. It doesn't count for anything, but it gives both teams a chance to get used to playing other teams before the season actually starts. Today's scrimmage was vs. Homer. It was awful out. It was cold and rainy. We, Kim, Kara, and I, were outside in the rain from about 6 o'clock to about 8 o'clock. It was miserable. The good news is that Ithaca won like 14-5 or something like that.

During the game, we stood on the benches by Ithaca's players and watched what was going on. There were no injuries (luckily), but Kim told me that when I was there, if there was an injury, I could run out onto the field with them. I figured I would be able to, but it was good to hear it. So, we got to watch the whole game from the sidelines (which was seriously cool) and then after it was done, we packed everything up and went back to the training room and put everything away. Not a great time, I was soaked, but worth the two hours. Plus, I hadn't gotten to work with Kim earlier in the week as much as I usually do, so I got to work with her then and make some of that time up.

So, I'm cold...I'm gonna go make some tea. Bye!!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

In the meeting this week...

Mr. Heurich and I met today 7th period like we do every Tuesday. He and I discussed what I had done this past week. There wasn't a whole lot that we needed to talk about. He thought that I was doing a good job and that I was on track. What we did talk about however was the fact that I hadn't been consistent with my blogging. So, I told him what a busy week it had been and we agreed that during our meetings, we would start out by talking about the basics of what I had done, and then I would be able to do some work on my blog, if I need to catch up, or do some research. I think it is a beneficial use of the time because in the library, I can work in a quiet environment, and focus on doing my work.

So, after we talked about that, I got to work on writing some of the old blogs that I needed to write, and I'll finish the rest later.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Lists

Planning: In the Next Week
  • Find out common Lacrosse injuries
  • Read more periodicals
  • Put more pics and videos on blog
  • Stay consistent with writing
  • Make up blogs from past week
  • Talk to Kim about taping
  • Start getting taping lessons from Kim/Kara/IC
Recording: With Mr. Heurich
  • Presentation Plans
  • Blog Ideas
  • Magazines of interest
  • Online resources
  • Documenting with Pics and Videos
  • What I've Done
  • What I Plan To Do
Reflecting: I've Enjoyed
  • Talking with Kim
  • Meeting Chris Hummel
  • Being outside
  • Talking with the athletes
  • Hanging out with Bob
  • Talking with Mary Rose about IC
  • Hanging out in the Training Room
  • Hands on work
  • Blogging
  • Finding cool videos online

Sunday, March 21, 2010

A bit more...

So, I did a bit more research today. This time it wasn't periodicals that I was looking at because I've decided that I am going to use the "Relief in a World of Hurt" article. I did some research on common Lacrosse injuries. I think i am going to need to focus on maybe the upper or lower half of the body because there are so many injuries. I haven't yet decided what part of the body I am going to focus on, I will know that after a bit more research, so until then, I'll leave both you and I wondering. However, when I know, you'll know.

Until tomorrow....

Saturday, March 20, 2010

A wee bit of research

I have an English assignment this week. For it, I have to get an article or a book and I have to read it and wrote about it, tying it to the Four I's that we talked about at the beginning of the semester. I've looked at a bunch of articles and I don't know that I have found one yet that I really like. The problem with the articles that I've read is that most of them are about gymnastics and I've changed my topic of interest to Lacrosse. I might end up using one that I've read earlier in the semester called "Relief in a World of Hurt", written by Lynne Heffley of the LA Times. It is about dancers and their overuse injuries, and although I don't want to focus on dance, it is something that is close to my heart.

So, yea, I guess that's it for now...
Yup,. Bye!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Such a long day.

Oh my goodness. I had the longest day ever today. It started when I got up. My alarm woke me up an hour early. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy. I couldn't fall back asleep, so I ended up getting up about a half hour early. I got ready and went off to school. But the day just dragged on, it was awful. I don't remember a day ever taking this long. I couldn't wait for the end of the day, because I was meeting with Kim and I was going to be there for like 3 hours, a good chunk of the time that i need to spend on my project every week, but the day wasn't going to work like that. However, when the end of the day finally came, I went to go meet with Kim. I was really hoping that maybe I could do some taping. Well, good news. She let me!! I got to tape somebody's knee. It took me a really long time, and Kim watched and guided me. It was so weird, but it was a lot of fun. I don't know when the next time I'll be able to do some taping is because today is the last day I'm going to be able to meet with Kim this week, and the college students are going to be back next week, so they'll probably be doing a lot of the taping. Grr.

So, after we finished the taping, we headed out to the turf where the Girl's Lacrosse team was meeting. The guys would have been practicing, but they had an away scrimmage, so they weren't there. But it was such a nice day. Kim and I had such a good time. It was the first time that I really got to talk to her one-on-one. We talked about all sorts of things, from Athletic Training to her daughter being at a sleepover at ACS this weekend to the fact that she was excited because she was going to be able to put together her new vacuum this weekend. It was great being able to get to know her in a way that doesn't have to do with my project. I love her, she is soo funny.

After I left Kim, I went to the spaghetti dinner for the seniors. It was to save graduation. It was fun, but I left at around 8:30. That means that I was at school for almost 12 hours. It was awful, but after school, I had so much fun. I loved it. Well, that's all for now.

See ya!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Wednesday.

The college students aren't here right now, they are all being cool down in Florida, Cancun, you know the deal. Lucky them. But it also means lucky me. I get to help out a lot more now that Kim can actively work with me. I learned a lot about taping this week. I don't know if you caught it, but in the video that I posted earlier about ankle taping, there was a point in the beginning of the video that the guy put two pieces of foam on the person's ankle. I had always wondered why they did this, and I asked Kim today. The reason that they do this is because it is lubricated on the insides of them, and it helps to not have the foam stick to the leg and it creates a good base for the pre-wrap.

So, Kim started teaching me how to tape and by the end of the week I should be able to tape a knee or something of that sort....I'm so excited!!!!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

OH SHOOT!!!

I forgot to mention that i think I am going to change my focus. At the moment, I am focusing on the injuries that you would get in gymnastics. However, I think I am going to changes this to lacrosse. This is for a few reasons.
  1. There will be more injuries because it's an impact sport, so there will be more to look at.
  2. It will be easier to get someone in for my project and demonstrate. I could stop a Lacrosse player when i needed them to stop, I couldn't really do that with a gymnast...or at least not so easily.
  3. I am going to be working with the Guy's Lacrosse team at school with Kim (and Kara, the IC student I am paired with), so I will be able to get some hands on experience...possibly?
So, I guess THAT'S all...bye for now.

Another Mentor Meeting

I met with Mr. Heurich today 7th period. We talked about what I have done this week, and some ideas for new posts that I could write...I have already written a blog about the ideas...look below. We also talked about what my plans are for my presentation.

As far as the presentation goes, I would like to give a taping lesson to people. I don't know if it would be ankle taping, wrist taping, etc, but I think it would be a good idea to look at doing that as a culmination of all the things i've learned about Athletic Training. Along with that, I thought of having some handouts with pictures of injuries, and I could have a someone come in and demonstrate how doing a certain thing could cause the injury, and I could stop them as soon as the injury would occur.

Mr. Heurich and I also talked about doing a blog about the differences between Athletic Training and Physical Therapy. There are a lot of differences, but a lot of people don't know what those differences would be off the top of their head, so it would be a little more information to help peOple understand just what I want to do with my life after high school and college. Even I am not totally sure of all of the differences, so it would help not only the general public that doesn't know about Athletic Training, it would be able to help me as well.

Part of the reason that I wanted to do this project was that I wanted to make sure that the field that I definitely wanted to go into in college was Athletic Training. That's what I love about this project so much. It helped me to officially decide that I want to go into Athletic Training. Yay!!

Mrs. Sauls suggested that I look at a magazine called Oxygen. It is about women and them getting in shape and doing things to help their bodies, and I think this a great idea. I am going to take a look at this magazine at the earliest possible time...which might be in a few days after I have looked at Runner's World, the magazine not the online articles...so we'll see.

I guess that's all for now...bye! :)

Entry Idea

Entry Ideas:
  • Write an overview of the kinds of fitness and injury prevention articles found in various popular magazines such as Oxygen, Runner's World, etc.
  • Develop the perfect marketing plan for a new magazine that would fit in a niche-for the general public about all different kinds of sports.
  • More analysis of taping videos and prevention clips found online.

Friday, March 12, 2010

IC Training Room

I went over to teh Training Room today. I spoke to Chris Hummel. By an extreme amount of good luck, he happens to be the Athletic Trainer for the Ithaca College Gymnastics team. Good luck, right? I told you. So, I asked him questions about what the common injuries were in gymnastics and he gave me a list of five. They are:
  • Tibia Stress Fractures
  • Ankle Sprains
  • Stress Fractures in the Lumbar Spine (Spondylysis, commonly called "Spondy")
  • ACL injuries
  • Concussions
I then asked him what some of the common prevention methods that he uses are. He said:
  • Educating the athletes on the possible injuries and informing them of issues with them, etc.
  • Having them come in as soon as possible, if they have any early signs, meet with an Athletic Trainer
  • Talking with an Athletic Trainer about the history of their injuries
  • Strengthening as far as ankle injuries go
  • Mechanics of jumping and landing with an ACL injury
I asked him when I could go and learn some basic taping techniques. They are open 9-12 Monday through Friday and between 2:30 and 8 pm. He said those were the best times. In the morning they are the least busy and in the afternon, they are the busiest. He also sent me to an online reference that I can use. I can use the Journal of Athletic Training. It is an online magazine that I can use. The volume that he sent me to has statistics about a lot of college sports and the injuries that they involve. I'll blog about this later when I read up on it.

That's it for now...

A Day Off? What's That?

This morning I went to a class at Ithaca College. It was a Lumbar Examination Class. I went because I have a herniated disk in my lower lumbar spine...aka my lower back. I knew two people in the class, so I was asked to go, and I did. It was nothing like I expected, but then again, I didn't really expect anything.

So, that was my morning. Instead of going back to school today though, since I only have one class the rest of teh day, and we're going to take notes, and Ms. Gornall said I could miss it, I am going to go hang out in teh Training Room here at IC. I'm taking Todd Lazenby up on his offer to go in there and hang out and ask questions. A lot of times it is going to be busy, but a lot of teams left either today or yesterday for sports. I know, for instance, that the Men's Lacrosse team left at 2am this morning...yea, have fun with that one.

So, I'll post a blog tonight about how the afternoon went and if I learn anything interesting, I will definitely post it.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

ImPACT Testing

I met with Kim again today. Usually I spend about 1.5 hours with her per day, today I spent a good 2.5 hours. Just meeting with Kim this week has fulfilled my 8 hour requirement...that's not taking into account the mentor meeting, the class meeting, the research I've done, the time online writing the blog. If I keep up this pace, I will be in good shape come May or June.

The reason I was with Kim for so long today was because we were doing ImPACT Testing at 5 o'clock. The ImPACT Test measures how your brain works if you don't have a concussion so you have something to compare to in order to see if you do have a concussion. I don't know if I've written about this before, but I think I have. Sorry for the repetition. Anyways, so I was just going to watch to see how the test was done, but Kim suggested that I take it as well. Let me tell you. That thing was a pain in the butt.

The test itself is 6 sections. It all has to do with memorization and things of that ilk. The first thing you do is fill out a section about demographics-who you are, what you weigh, etc. Then you start the actual test. This is the obnoxious part. They flash words up on the screen and you have to memorize them. Then at the end, they will ask you if certain words show up...annoying right? Well, that's just the first section, they then do the same thing with shapes, and the shape is a line that is all squiggly. At the end when they are showing you the shape, they will turn it every which way, and you have to do the exact shape or you are wrong. So, they had 6 of these sections. Then they throw you for a loop. At the very end of the test, when you think you are all done, they ask you to remember the words and shapes from the beginning and be able to identify them again. Ugh. It was so annoying. It took a good 15 to 20 minutes for the test. Something I never want to go through again.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A Little Bit of Research

Today, 7th and 8th periods, I went to the Library and borrowed one of the boxes of magazines that Mr. Heurich and I talked about yesterday, DanceSpirit. It wasn't very helpful, the magazines are more about costumes, competitions and famous dancers and choreographers than it is about injuries and things that I am looking for. However, I had fun looking at it. I recognized some people and some of the costumes that were featured in the magazine. For instance, on the cover of one of the magazines was Maud Arnold. I met her February 20th, in Syracuse, she was my Tap teacher at a competition that I was at. This, for me, was the best part of the whole bit...the fact that I knew her and she was on the cover. It was pretty cool.

I think I'm going to go back and look at Runner's World Magazine to see what I can find in there, if anything. Having the magazines at school is getting me so amped. This way I'm not just looking at the computer screen trying to read periodicals all the time. I think I am going to be doing a lot more work now that I have that resource.

I Met With Kim Again

Day 3 of meeting with Kim. I love it. I have so much fun, not only with the IC students and Kim herself, but with a lot of the students that come in there. The girl who had to put her foot in the ice bucket yesterday, Harmony, came back today for another round. We were joking around because Kim wasn't in there when she got there. Throughout the time that she was in the ice bucket, we were joking and laughing and having a good time. It's a lot of fun. I'm so glad that I decided to do this for my project.

Today started Impact Testing. If you don't know what it is, you get asked a series of questions, and it tests how your brain works normally, or when you don't have a concussion. That way, they can more easily tell in the future if you have a concussion or not; all they have to do is compare the scores that you got on the two tests and they can figure out if you have a concussion or not. I was going to get tested myself, but I had to leave before I could. Kim told me I should take the test, that way I can get more acquainted with the process.

I am going back for Day 4 tomorrow, so I will likely take the test then...with the guys that are going to be taking it as well. Should be fun...

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Meeting with Kim...Day 2

I met Kim again after school today. Mary Rose and Kara were there again, along with Bob Wu. It was a lot of fun. I got a video of Bob getting his ankle taped, and I'll put that up here soon. A girl came in and had to go in the ice bucket because she rolled her ankle. I do not envy her that. The bucket was half filled with ice and then water, and she had her foot in there for fifteen minutes.

We went out and saw the Girl's Lacrosse practice today. Kim was talking about how it would be easiest if each high school student was assigned to an IC student and a team, that way it wouldn't be so crazy everyday trying to decide who would go where because after school, the training room is crazy. It was fun today, Bob kept things really light. I know I am going to have a good time working with Kim.

I am going to try to go back either tomorrow or Thursday...we'll see.

Pain relief for runner's knee from RunnersWorld.com

Pain relief for runner's knee from RunnersWorld.com

I found this website with Mr. Heurich and it shows some cool information about taking care of yourself and preventing injuries like runner's knee if you are a runner. The website is runnersworld.com.


Mentor Meeting 3/9/10

Today is my third meeting with Mr. Heurich. I filled him in on what I have done lately...keeping him apprised of what my progress is.

What I've Done Since Last Meeting
  • Met with Kim Bailey for the first time and saw her taping some of the athletes
  • Looked up some videos of taping knees and ankles on youtube (will blog about some of the videos that I liked and that were useful)
  • Read another periodical online, however it was of no help
  • Set up an appointment with Dr. Getzin for the 24th of March to talk to him about my back along with talking about common injuries in sports.
What I plan To Do
  • Before the next meeting, I am going to come into the library and look at some magazines that Mr. Heurich and I found. One magazine is DanceSpirit, another is Runner's World to se if they have anything that could be useful to me.
  • I am going to meet with Kim Bailey again today and any other day that I can to keep going on my interning. I will talk to her to see if I can find out any more on the common injuries that she works with. I don't know that I will have a lot of time to do this because it is the beginning of the season and she is going to have a lot to do getting ready and getting Impact Testing done. Impact Testing is testing to see if an athlete has a concussion or not to start the season.
  • I will blog about any videos that I found useful and interesting from YouTube.
  • I am going to work on making my blog media-rich. This will include videos, pictures. Anything that I learn or want to learn will be included from now on.

Monday, March 8, 2010

First Meeting with Kim

After school today, I had my first real meeting with Kim Bailey. At first, we were just in the Training Room and she was taping people's ankles and toes and knees. Brandon Jordan came in and had to do some shoulder stretches with a band because he has problems with his shoulder.

We went out the football field and watched the Boy's Lacrosse practice for a little while. There really wasn't much to do. Kim said herself that until there is a game that a lot of the job of being an athletic trainer is standing around.

There are four IC students that are going to be shadowing Kim along with myself, Bob Wu and Matt Foote from the high school. Today I met Mary Rose and Kara, they are two of the students from IC. I think it is going to be a lot of fun working with Kim this semester.

Class Meeting

Today we had a class meeting. We talked about the journals that we read for homework. A bunch of people liked the journals that they read; I however, did not. I thought it was not strong, and that it got weaker as it went.

We also talked about fundraising. This didn't apply to me, since I'm not doing anything that involves needing money or supplies to go anywhere or do anything. It was a pretty chill class period.

It's so difficult to go to class on these Mondays. I am so used to having 8th period free, and I love it, to get other work done so that I can do my project after school with Kim, or when I go home, and since Mondays are my late night with dance, it's difficult. But, oh well, you deal, I guess.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Taping Video

For part of my project, I wanted to learn some basic techniques for taping of all kinds, whether it be ankle, knee, wrist, whatever. In my meeting with Mr. Heurich the other day, we found this video and I watched it in its entirety at home that night and it looked really interesting, and answered a question I had when I went to see Kim last week. I saw her tape an ankle for a basketball player, and I wondered what the things were that she was putting on either side of the ankle, and I didn't have a chance to ask the question, but this video answered that question for me.



If you don't know, a sprain is when the ligaments stretch or tear. An inversion ankle sprain that was mentioned in the video is when the ankle is rolled to the outside thus either stretching or tearing that ligament. The heel lock that he was putting on after the stirrup help to prevent this from happening.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Second Mentor Meeting

I met with Mr. Heurich today and we talked about two different topics. One was what i had done since the last mentor meeting that I had last Tuesday, and the other was what I am planning on doing in the next week or two.

What I've done since Last Tuesday
  • I read multiple periodicals that I had picked out and put in my annotated bibliography before I even really started working on my project. Some proved to be helpful while others weren't. There were one or two that I got a lot of information on and that I will be using in the future. (Soon I will post a blog entry about the articles that I read.)
  • I had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Andrew Getzin, who is a doctor at Cayuga Sports Medicine. I was talking to him about my project while I was having my appointment, and he said that I was welcome to go and visit him at Ithaca College if I wanted any hands on experience.
What I plan on doing in the next two weeks
  • I am going to meet with Dr. Getzin most likely this Friday to see what he can tell me and who I should get in touch with.
  • I will be heading up to Ithaca College to talk to some of the professors in the Athletic Training program. If I could get an appointment, I would like to meet with Paul Geisler to see if I could go to his class and observe every now and then.
  • I am going to start meeting with Kim Bailey next Monday, March 8th. The spring sports are going to start then and I will be able to do something as far as helping Kim and learning some of the information that I want to.
  • When I meet with some of these people, I hope to find out some of the more common injuries associated with gymnastics. When that happens, I can start researching those specific injuries.

Self-Assessment
I think I need to get working more now that i have a lot of the starting points. I said in my original two week plan that I wasn't going to be able to do a whole lot at the beginning of the project because of dance, and that proved to be true. However, now that I have a lot of my competition season out of the way, I should be able to focus more on getting the work for my project done.
I have been able to work occasionally on what I wanted to do, and when I was able to, I got a lot done in a short period of time, so now with the time that I have, I will be able to get a ton of research done.