The approach of spring signifies the start of something important for avid sports fans, something that takes people back to their childhood days of barbecues and never-ending baseball (or softball) games in the park.
It’s the time of year when the smell of fresh-cut grass perfumes the air, Sundays are spent playing catch, and local high school and college athletes prepare to kick off their spring seasons.
But the start of this new season for athletes is more than just a schedule of games and practices. It can also mean injury.
A majority of spring sports involve repetitive movement, during which athletes practice the same body motion over and over again. Without proper preparation and treatment, these “repetitive” sports can cause a lot of injuries resulting from overuse.
According to the National Athletic Trainers Association, overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries in high school and college students. These kinds of injuries typically become chronic because, initially, they don’t cause athletes enough discomfort to make them stop participating in their sports.
Acute and traumatic injuries, such as tears to ligaments or tendons, can’t always be avoided. However, overuse injuries, though common, can easily be prevented.
With any sport, the primary goal is to enjoy the game. Avoiding injury during a season merely adds to an athlete’s sense of accomplishment.
According to a couple of local athletic trainers at the high school and college levels, there are some basic guidelines athletes should follow if they want to stay in the game.
Eliseo Munoz is in his sixth year as head athletic trainer at Allan Hancock College. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Cal Poly in SLO, Munoz has a lot of experience dealing with injured athletes, a fiercely competitive yet sometimes very vulnerable population.
Munoz, who once interned with the sports medicine team for the San Francisco 49ers, said proper pre-season training and in-season maintenance will make an athlete more successful and less prone to injury. But Munoz asserts that there are a percentage of athletes not compliant with their rehabilitation.
“When athletes don’t make time for themselves and take care of their bodies, those are the athletes more likely to sustain overuse injuries,” he said.
According to Munoz, athletes must prepare themselves before the season begins and conduct routine maintenance throughout the season if they want to avoid injury.
In the off-season, athletes need to make sure they’re conditioning their bodies and strengthening the muscle groups they use for their sport. According to Munoz, female athletes specifically should implement more strength training, such as weight lifting, to properly prepare for their sport.
Munoz said a proper warm-up is very important for helping an athlete avoid any kind of injury, whether overuse or traumatic.
“The same warm-ups and stretching that we were taught in P.E. can still be used to prevent injury,” he said.
In recent years, Munoz explained, coaches and athletes have been much more responsible when it comes to warming up and stretching.
According to Righetti High School athletic trainer Stacey McIntyre, avoiding injury means going back to the basics. With a master’s degree in athletic training from Montana State University, McIntyre has been working with Righetti athletes since 2009 and is no stranger to overuse injuries.
“I think there is rarely a day that passes that I am not treating an overuse injury,” she said.
For athletes who are constantly working and pushing their bodies harder and further to reach their goals, diet is paramount to their success.
“Eating a healthy diet of primarily lean proteins, high-quality carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables ensures that the body has enough of the right kind of fuel it needs to perform well and prevent fatigue,” she said.
McIntyre added that athletes need to hydrate constantly as well. Staying hydrated helps prevent heat sickness, lubricates joints, and is necessary for proper muscle function.
One of the factors that can lead to an overuse injury is overtraining. McIntyre said there’s a growing trend of athletes who play a single sport year round and who are repeating the same patterns of movement day after day. As a result, athletic trainers are seeing more overuse injuries in younger athletes.
“The best way to avoid overuse injuries is to vary activity and incorporate adequate rest. Don’t work the same muscle groups in the same way day after day,” McIntyre said. “Rest is essential for muscle recovery and rebuilding.”
But most importantly, both trainers said, athletes must listen to their bodies and be smart. If something is hurting, the athlete needs to rest and avoid the activities or movements causing soreness. More than likely, with proper rest and ice, the injury will take care of itself in a couple of days.
“Don’t turn something minor into something major by ignoring the important signals your body is giving you,” McIntyre said.
While proper physical preparation is needed, McIntyre and Munoz agree that a certain amount of mental preparation is necessary as well. If athletes develop a calm, focused state of mind and confidence in their abilities, they’re more likely to play stronger and better, reducing their risk of possible injury.
“Mental distracters and a lack of confidence can result in poor technique and lack of awareness of their surroundings, both of which can lead to injury,” McIntyre said.
Other factors that can lead to athletic injury are overzealous coaches who create an environment in which athletes aren’t allowed to fail. Athletes might develop the idea that if they speak up about a potential injury, they’ll be criticized and risk losing their starting position. They’ll then try to manage the injury themselves, and often end up making it worse.
Munoz and McIntyre said increasing college fees and competition for athletic scholarships to offset those costs are other factors that can lead to injury among athletes.
Being competitive at any level means an athlete is constantly pushing the limits in the physical and mental arenas, which can lead to injury. Though there’s a certain amount of injury expected in athletics, both of these trainers said if athletes make the proper preparations, take the time to take care of themselves, and speak up about a possible injury, they have a better chance of staying in the game.
“I tell the kids that there is a fine line between being tough and being stupid,” McIntyre said. “It’s your body, and you have to do what’s best for you regardless of what coaches or teammates may say.”
Staff Writer Kristina Sewell has had her share of overuse injuries during her softball days. Contact her at ksewell@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2012.
