Recently, the Washington Redskins hired a new athletic training intern, Abigail Solis. She is the first female hired by the Washington Redskins. Solis attends George Mason University, and is a noticeable difference on the field. She knew she stuck out the first few days. Just like my baseball players, she states that the Washington Redskins are a very respectful bunch. She chose her internship with the Redskins based on the fact that she wanted that professional experience. She loves how, at this level, the athletes take care of themselves and their bodies, while high schoolers most of the time do not care. There is respect coming from both ends, which is how it always will be.
Another highlight with the Redskins is that they also hired a new director of sports medicine. Her name is Robin West. West is currently the lead team physician for the Washington Nationals and the medical director for Inova Sports Medicine. She has been the team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon. West is the first female lead chief physician in the NFL! The Redskins president seems to have great confidence that West was the best choice for the job, and I don't see why he would be wrong!
What an amazing development for the Washington Redskins. Reading about the addition of two females to their medical staff made me so happy. Being a female in this industry is already difficult, and to make it in professional sports is even harder. But these two females have broken that barrier and have been the first females in the Redskins history. I have always been an advocate for females in this profession and I will continue to be. This news is just proof that we are making it easier for women to be in the male dominated areas of this profession. I can't wait to see what the future holds!!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2016/06/16/redskins-break-ground-with-female-trainer-and-lead-doctor/
If you have any topics or stories that you would like to hear about, let me know! I am open to suggestions!!!
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Being Hurt vs Being Injured
So this post comes at a time where I'm dealing with this exact issue right now. There is a constant debate between athletic trainers and athletes about injuries and whether or not it is something that needs attention. I believe there is a HUGE difference between being hurt and being injured. And injury is something you cannot play through. It has a definitive diagnosis and causes too much pain and discomfort to do any activities. Being hurt, on the other hand, I believe is something that your body is going through, but you can play through it - like sore muscles or maybe some kind of "tweak". There could be a definitive diagnosis or not. But if you can play through it, you will be ok. As found in the article posted below, being hurt means having a sense of pain, mentally or physically, and being injured is to cause or do harm, like a sprain, strain, etc. Perception of pain has a lot to do with the difference as well. How well a person handles pain might determine if they are hurt or injured. Athletes will play through some kind of physical pain, dubbing them "hurt". There is not stuctrual damage or long term effects of playing hurt. An injured athlete, on the other hand, will have long term effects or damage if they continue to play.
So now that we know the difference, how to we deal with athletes that are constantly saying they're injured but are just hurt, and vice versa? I have constantly had athletes come to me complaining of every little thing that hurt, telling me they cannot play, and yet can workout at the gym and do other activities. And on the other hand, I have had athletes that could barely walk because of how much pain they're in and how unstable a joint it, yet they are trying to tape up and get out on the field. Let's start with the latter, because I think those are easier cases. If an athlete is trying to play while being injured, telling them the long term effects of what can happen when they are playing injured will be enough for them to take a look at what they're doing. Let's say a football player has a sprained MCL, grade 1, not torn, but definitely lax. You can warn them that if they do not take the proper time to heal, that ligament could tear because of the compromised state it is in and they will be out for a longer period of time. I think athletes do not want to hear they would have to be out longer, so it convinces them to rest up and heal. Convincing an injured athlete, who wants to play, to STOP playing because it will make things worse is an easier task than talking to hurt athletes that don't want to play and convincing them they are ok. The talk is much different. It's hard to tell these athletes to "suck it up", but you kind of have to. For example... a baseball player gets hit by a pitch, gets a bruise, and decides he can't play and takes himself out of the game. How do you talk to that athlete? I have found it difficult. The athlete doesn't want to play, and has now given himself an excuse not to. We as athletic trainers need to figure out how to tell this athlete he is ok and can in fact play in the game. Especially when they are doing other activities that lead you to believe they're not in as much pain as they are letting on. Situations like these are testy and you need to know how to approach it. Maybe you have to get them a doctor's appointment to show them they're ok. Maybe you have to explain that they can play through certain things and to come back if it doesn't go away in a week. I have yet to find a good way to approach this situation. It's a tough one.
Have you had to deal with either of these kinds of athletes? How do you handle situations? Leave some comments below!
http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-injured-and-hurt/
https://dagunshow.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/sports-distinction-between-playing-hurt-injured/
So now that we know the difference, how to we deal with athletes that are constantly saying they're injured but are just hurt, and vice versa? I have constantly had athletes come to me complaining of every little thing that hurt, telling me they cannot play, and yet can workout at the gym and do other activities. And on the other hand, I have had athletes that could barely walk because of how much pain they're in and how unstable a joint it, yet they are trying to tape up and get out on the field. Let's start with the latter, because I think those are easier cases. If an athlete is trying to play while being injured, telling them the long term effects of what can happen when they are playing injured will be enough for them to take a look at what they're doing. Let's say a football player has a sprained MCL, grade 1, not torn, but definitely lax. You can warn them that if they do not take the proper time to heal, that ligament could tear because of the compromised state it is in and they will be out for a longer period of time. I think athletes do not want to hear they would have to be out longer, so it convinces them to rest up and heal. Convincing an injured athlete, who wants to play, to STOP playing because it will make things worse is an easier task than talking to hurt athletes that don't want to play and convincing them they are ok. The talk is much different. It's hard to tell these athletes to "suck it up", but you kind of have to. For example... a baseball player gets hit by a pitch, gets a bruise, and decides he can't play and takes himself out of the game. How do you talk to that athlete? I have found it difficult. The athlete doesn't want to play, and has now given himself an excuse not to. We as athletic trainers need to figure out how to tell this athlete he is ok and can in fact play in the game. Especially when they are doing other activities that lead you to believe they're not in as much pain as they are letting on. Situations like these are testy and you need to know how to approach it. Maybe you have to get them a doctor's appointment to show them they're ok. Maybe you have to explain that they can play through certain things and to come back if it doesn't go away in a week. I have yet to find a good way to approach this situation. It's a tough one.
Have you had to deal with either of these kinds of athletes? How do you handle situations? Leave some comments below!
http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-injured-and-hurt/
https://dagunshow.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/sports-distinction-between-playing-hurt-injured/
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