Asking "Why" and Getting "How"

Athletic trainers have to ask the hard questions like "what is this injury?" and "how did it happen?"  But have you ever thought to ask "WHY did this happen?"  Well, the St. Louis Cardinals started doing just that.  Left hander Tim Cooney experienced an interesting and worrisome feeling in his arm earlier this spring.  Not only did staff ask WHAT was wrong, but WHY?  They now feel like finding out the "why" will lead to the "how" to avoid and prevent injuries.  This spring, the Performance Department was established by the Cardinals, and it consists of Dr. Robert Butler and head athletic trainer Adam Olsen.  This new department seems to give the team a competitive edge, focusing on PREhab vs REhab.  Teams have started to look into data about how to treat, prevent, and avoid injury.  Other teams, including the Washington Nationals, have revamped their medical staff.  The Cardinals felt as though the medical world and the performance world were clashing on their team.  So they brought in medical professionals with a performance background to bridge the gap.  Everyone seems to be on the same page when it comes to injuries.  The mission of this new Performance Department is to optimize organizational readiness.  This means that the department does everything in their power to get every single player ready to play at their highest level during any game.  The programs for each player are individualized with minimal program deviation throughout the club, Dominican League to MLB.  An area of concern: fatigue.  They want to understand WHY fatigue happens and how to prevent it.  There has been research and evidence based data to provide tools for players to stay healthy.  The body needs to work as a unit to be healthy which needs to be seen in treatment.


How do you feel about this "new " approach that the Cardinals are embracing?  I feel like this is not necessarily new as it is just underutilized.  I believe as an athletic trainer, you should be doing this.  However, I don't know if we are all asking "why?"  I think it is an overlooked question and definitely something we should be making a note of.  I think that this article is a great read and makes you think.  It's definitely something that we should all be incorporating into our practice.  Thoughts?


http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-see-performance-department-as-next-evolution-in-player-health/article_1c39f91f-ce31-516d-ba75-03f1eb043cd4.html