Joint pain common for boomer women

This article talks about how women tend to suffer different injuries from men due to the differences in physical domain, and also in daily activities. It contributes women’s musculoskeletal engineering, hormone, gender differences on a molecular level, and life activities as the causes for the certain injuries in women. The article also deals with the five common injuries in women; the injuries were hand osteoarthritis, Carpal tunnel syndrome, De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, peroneal tendinosis, and Bunions and hammer toes. The causes for many of the injuries were due to the daily activities arranging from doing house chores to wearing high-heels. However, we should not neglect the fact that using certain parts of our body playing or participating in sports may also contribute to the cause of such injuries.

As more females participate in sport and physical activity, certain knowledge and clinical skills are required to meet the needs of female athletes like menstrual cycle, gynecologic irregularities, birth control, pregnancy, eating disorders, and osteoporosis. Physically active women are at risk for a group of symptoms called the Female Athlete Triad, which contains disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. This disorder is common in sports that require an ideal body weight or optimal level of body fat such as gymnastics, figure skating, cross-country, diving, swimming, and ballet.¹

            A friend of mine is a professional diver. A few days ago, I saw her Facebook posts about how she feels sorry for her mother that she is taking nutritional supplements for osteoporosis earlier than her mother. It reminded me of how participating in sport activity may cause certain symptoms to female athletes. As allied health professionals, athletic trainers should educate female athletes about these concerns. This educational process will enable the female athletes to be heads-up for their possible conditions. For example, female athletes can minimize the occurrence of ACL injuries by having optimal strength or correcting knee alignment. As a side note, the reasons for the different rates of injury in men and women are not clear, but some theories show female athletes have 4-10 times more ACL injuries than male athletes due to differences in anatomy, knee alignment, ligament laxity, muscle strength, and conditioning.²

Some factors described above cannot be prevented or be changed, because it is the way human body is built. However, there are surely other factors that can be prevented by care and effort. Such effort can be put together by the cooperation of athletes and athletic trainers. It is important for both athletes and athletic trainers to remember that there is always a way to prevent the injuries in advance, and it can be realized through thoroughly paid attention and care.

Access the article here:

http://www.freep.com/story/life/wellness/joint-health/2014/09/27/joint-health-joint-care-women/16269815/

Reference:

1.     Anderson M. K, Parr G. P, Hall S. J. Foundations of athletic training: prevention, assessment, and management. 4^th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2009:825-838.

2.     Maurer-Starks S. ACL injuries. ATTR 540 Manage Lower Extremity Conditions. Lecture conducted from Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater; 2013

UMass police helped keep student’s addiction secret

Drugs have not been one of my interests, and I have not heard a lot about it until I came to the U.S. In Korea, using or abusing drugs are treated as a severe violation of law. It is totally illegal. By coming to the states, I have heard more about drugs through people I met and through the news that dealt with the accidents or side effects of various drugs. I learned that Marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in 20 states (see Fig. 1). However, in Korea, anyone who used Marijuana for any reason can be punished by fewer than 50 thousand dollars of fine or under 5 years of imprisonment.

Fig. 1. States where people can use Marijuana for legalized medical purpose. Source: Jolie Lee and Karl Gelles, Marijuana Policy Project, USA TODAY Network

            Many athletes, whether student-athlete or professional athletes, they like to celebrate their victory. There is nothing better than gathering with people to commemorate such an occasion if it is done in proper manner, however, often is not the case. The temptation of drinking alcohol and using drugs can be hard to resist in such situation. According to the recent article by USA Today, “World Anti-Doping Agency recently amended its rules on cannabis, raising the threshold for a positive test from 15 nano-grams per milliliter to 150 ng/ml” (http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/07/17/ross-rebagliati-olympics-marijuana-drug-testing/2528283/). However the choice WADA has made, it is important for the varsity players and professional players to remember the consequence of using any kind of drugs may bring to the whole team and each individual’s career and health. It is highly possible that any accident can take place when one is on the drugs, which make a person lose control and an ability to judge correctly. It is matter of responsibility, really. Responsible for your team and more importantly, for your life.

            As an allied health professionals, we, athletic trainers should take time to be well-informed with doping rules and laws. It is important to be informed, however, it is also very important of duty of AT to inform athletes through education. Using drugs without one’s notice is just an excuse, and it is definitely an illegal act.

Access the article here: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/09/27/heroin-takes-life-flagship-campus-umass-did-university-enough/KeUcRPH2VyQWmI0lhii01K/story.html

Knee, hip replacements part of boomers' active lives

There are increasing number of people who are wearing out parts of body, especially cartilages of the joints. It may be due to the fact that many people are working out, being active, but also that more people are carrying more weight on their body. There are more people, especially athletes, who are in line to get their knees and hips replaced. According to this article, the demand for orthopedic surgery is rising, and thanks to the recent development of technologies, the surgery is getting easier and finer, which also leads to the less scarring and quicker recovery time.

About two years ago, my mother got her hip replaced. The doctor recommended that she should get the surgery after a period of time when she could strengthen her muscles around her hips. He told us that we should postpone the surgery as long as possible. The reason was that even if the patient gets the surgery, it did not mean the effect of the surgery is permanent for the rest of the life. It was likely that she should have the surgery again in fifteen or twenty years after the first surgery. My mother, however, who had had the constant pain that made her life hard, could not delay the surgery. Luckily the surgery was successful, and she is living her life as active as the time before the pain. She is even going mountain climbing occasionally. It is best for her to keep and take a good care of herself for the future, but it is hard for her to stop using the part when she is working. As the article mentioned, it is not the only case for my mother. It is crucial for patients, both non-athletes and also the athletes, to know how they should take care of their body before and after the surgery. Not just knowing the facts about rehab, but also implementing in their real lives is the essential part when one wants to have active life when they become old.

For the athletes who are now reading my blog right now, take a little bit of time thinking what you are doing to protect your body. You are more vulnerable to orthopedic injuries, because you use it more often and even harder than normal people. As this article is pointing out that athletes should give more attention to preventing the joint-related injuries, such as arthritis and inflammations. If you feel pain, you should not return to play in a rush. You should take as much as rest as possible, and try your best to restore. After such restoration period it is possible to lessen other complications that may cause you not being able to play as your best. There are so many athletes in pain, but do not take enough time to cure injuries. That leads to the less ability to play good games, and less effective exercise, which in the end may lead to gain weights on the body that could result in more injuries due to too much pressure on the joints. You can guess what happens afterwards. It is a vicious cycle. It is important for athletes to realize that tremendous amount of time and effort should be spent on taking care of their bodies. Even if one stops playing as an athlete on the field, it is necessary to take a good care not to have joint replacement surgery. The article notes and emphasizes the state of the art development of orthopedic technology, it is better for one to use and take a good care of their own body.

Access the article here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/21/knee-hip-replacements-part-of-boomers-active-lifestyles/15981655/

My Philosophy as an Athletic Training Student

There is a point in one’s life when a thing, big or small, happens, and that thing may change the path of life, and affect the whole life set front of one. It happened when I was a freshman in high school. I tore my left Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) while practicing Taekwondo, the traditional Korean martial arts. As an aspiring Taekwondo player, and also a fervent fan of playing sports, I felt like losing a part of me when the accident happened. I had to get a surgery, and also went to rehabilitation in a sports medicine center. It was a really hard time for a young guy, not being able to move as I wanted, and just watch others play on the field. In the rehab, I met an athletic trainer. His skills, attitude, professionalism as an athletic trainer made the time in the rehab valuable and also bearable. I grew to become his fan as time went on. Thanks to his help, I could return to play sports activity. That is the time when I decided to become an athletic trainer.

I studied and prepared hard to get into the university that I wanted to pursue my dream as an Athletic Trainer (AT). After getting a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine, I worked as an AT for badminton and basketball teams for two years. Then I came to the States, where the Athletic Training field is most developed and prominent, to learn and experience more. By coming to the States, and having experiences in American sports teams, I could see that Athletic training in Korean has many differences from Athletic training in America. First of all, in Korea, we do not have certification and licensure for ATs. Anyone who has experience in the field can work as an AT. Also, they does all kinds of work for the team, from manager, chiropractor, acupuncturist, massage therapist, to physical therapist. Even though, it may seem a little bit weird to do such many works, I liked being an AT in Korea. I think being an AT is like being a mother of every athlete. ATs do everything for athletes, physically and psychologically, just like a mom. Mothers sacrifice, put a lot of effort on their kids. I think that is what an AT should be to athletes; the mom on the field. Being an AT does not mean just being able to take care of sports-related injuries, but also mending athletes’ emotional or psychological parts and injuries. By doing so, ATs can make an emotional bond with athletes, and also strengthen the trust, which can often lead to the successful care.

Athletic trainers put tons of efforts and time to their career. One has to study the courses in Athletic Training Program, but not just that, he/she has to have as many clinical experience as possible to become a professional AT. Thanks to the scientific development and technological advancement, more efficient, better, and new skills and techniques are coming out. Even after one gets a job as an AT, obtaining continuous education and countless effort must be followed to be a better AT. Considering all the aspects of being an AT, I think it is very important for one to be really passionate and have a high pride in being an AT. One should really love being an AT, or not it will be a really hard time for both the AT and his/her athletes. ‘Passionate’ and ‘professional’ are all you have to know about Athletic training.

Since I am an international student, I feel that I have to have different mindset from others. I believe that I can have more and more chances to learn various things as I try by best. I appreciate every lesson and experience I get to have. I believe that I am lucky to have the chance to experience the different Athletic training system in the States as an AT student. Not just inside the school program, I plan to try harder to have as many chances to learn from other institutes or clinicians, and get the most out of my limited time in the States. Even though the time here is limited, I think the potential value of what I learn and experience is unlimited. I also have a belief that if I do my best and learn valuable lessons here, I could bring changes to the Athletic training field in Korea, which in the end leads to the betterment of the Athletic training system in Korea. Some elite and aspiring Korean athletes go abroad to have orthopedic surgeries and rehabs. Also, many allied health professionals want to come to the States and learn. That is the reality of the Athletic training field in Korea right now. The field of Athletic training in Korea needs to be more developed. I, however, think that we can see such a reality in a bright side. We have more potential to grow up. I can be the movement. I can be part of the change.

Building a rehab center would be my final goal. Many athletes and physically active people can get valuable services in Athletic training, Nutrition, Biomechanics, Conditioning, and so on. Also there should be seminar sessions that many Athletic training students can learn, experience, and develop themselves to become successful ATs. I believe this would make the field of Athletic training in Korea stronger.