Concussions: Seeing Double-Standard
While the NFL’s multi-million-dollar settlement with former players regarding concussion issues is front-page news, you may not have heard about Briana Scurry, famed goal keeper of the victorious U.S. Women’s World Cup team in 1999, who fights a daily battle against darkness and depression. Scurry sustained a concussion on April 25, 2010 while playing in goal […]
Good Job, Good Effort — Really?
Rewind to June 2012: The Boston Celtics win Game 5 of the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat and go up 3-2 in the series. The ever-present TV cameras catch the mood of the losing team as they head into the locker room after the devastating loss before a home crowd. Listen to the kid […]
ACL Repair: Get the Best Surgeon, Be Patient
Did you hear that Robert Griffin III had knee surgery? Good grief. They even prepared an animated look at ACL reconstruction for the Monday night football audience. Of course, it was all cleaned up. No blood or gore. Not the sounds of drills or hammers or screws or suction. But, in real life and real […]
When Health and Recreation Programs Become Human Performance Laboratories, Who Pays?
Last week I saw a friend I hadn’t seen in some time. She has three kids: one graduating college, one beginning his second year at university and one nearly finished with high school. “So, what about you?” I asked, “What are you doing with yourself?” “Oh, the kids are still keeping me busy. I really […]
Are Sports Too Much for Your Kid? Dismantling the Dagwood Sandwich, An Equation for Healthy Youth Sport
Everybody’s talking about injuries. Coaches, doctors, league administrators, and parents are worried about the increase in injuries from SO much soccer! Kids are stuffed with teams and tryouts, tournaments and competitions. What used to be a tasty part of a balanced diet, now sits on their plate like a dagwood sandwich, daring them to eat […]
5 Things to Look for if You’re New on the Soccer Team
Just joined a new team or are considering one? How do you know whether it is a good fit? Here are 5 things to consider: other players, other parents, the coach, the team feel, your own kid. Other players … watch these at tryouts and practice: Does your kid fit in? Can she keep up with […]
Pain AND Gain: On the Edge of Injury AND Glory
I got to spend my mornings last week with the First Ladies of soccer, the Washington Spirit. I have never seen that kind of soccer quite so up close and personal. These women are phenomenal. Just standing by, I can hardly believe the power and accuracy and quickness of their ball drills and their small-sided […]
Training the Fittest, Be Smart About Functional Over-reaching
Don’t call it over-training, they say, call it over-reaching. Or better yet, call it under-performing. All that to get away from the accusatory tone that comes with the word. How much is too much? Well, it all depends on how they play, right? At the ACSM conference I attended a session on “Over-training” in high-performing […]
Can the ACL Be Repaired Safely in Children?
Surgeons tell me their ACL repairs are coming in younger and younger packages. 200-400,000 repairs per year (depending on who you ask) costing us multiple billions of dollars. But if you have been the parent of one of these kids you know that doesn’t even touch the cost. The pain you feel for them and […]
Your Iliotibial Band Is Not Your Enemy
Your iliotibial (or IT) band travels on the outside of your thigh from your hip to just below your knee. Science speak says, “The IT Band is a lateral thickening of the fascia lata that rises from the tensor fascia latae and gluteus maximus, courses down the side of the leg to lateral femoral condyle […]