It’s back to school time and many children and adults are participating in a wide range of activities and athletic events. Dr. Tamika Dawson-Knox, is a primary care sports medicine physician with Indiana University Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine who treats many of these individuals when their activities result in injuries.
Following are some questions and answers regarding injuries:
What kinds of injuries do you see the most in your practice?
I mainly see concussions, overuse injuries such as rotator cuff tendonitis, trapezius spasm, patellofemoral syndrome, ankle sprains, tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis and female athlete triad syndrome.
Who is most at risk for concussions? How often do concussions happen?
A concussion can occur in anyone. In fact, an estimated 3 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year.
Do concussions happen more often in male or female athletes?
Male athletes suffer more concussions, but female athletes are quickly closing the gap. Football is the most common sport for concussions in males. Soccer is the most common sport for concussions in females.
What can happen if a concussion isn’t treated?
The lack of proper diagnosis and management of a concussion may result in prolonged symptoms such as headache and memory loss and lead to serious long-term consequences such as coma and death. When there is a second injury after a concussion an athlete’s brain hasn’t fully recovered and the brain doesn’t have the ability during this already fragile state to adequately respond.
That can result in long-term brain injury. A second injury can cause short-term memory problems, long-term memory problems, learning difficulty, depression, mood disorders, brain swelling and, in the worst case, brain death.
What are some of the biggest misconceptions about concussions?
I sometimes hear, “If I have a concussion I will always have a headache.” The fact is some concussions are not felt or immediately apparent. Some symptoms may occur minutes to hours after the incident. You also hear, “The coach or parent can decide when an athlete can return to play.” That’s not the case.
In the state of Indiana every athlete with a concussion needs to be cleared by a physician who has been trained in concussion management. Occasionally, people say “Concussions aren’t a real or serious problem.” The truth is that concussions can have lasting effects. And the idea that “Getting your bell rung is normal” is false. An athlete involved in a collision could have a concussion and needs to be checked out.
What are the most effective ways to treat a concussion?
Rest. Provide adequate time for recovery from a concussion. Don’t rush back into daily activities for work or school. Avoid activities that might jolt or jar your head. Never return to a sports activity until your doctor gives you clearance.
How common are overuse injuries? What are some effective treatments?
Overuse injuries happen to 1 in 4 athletes. For minor symptoms, cutting back on the intensity and duration of the activity will normally bring relief. It’s also a good idea to adopt a hard/easy workout schedule and cross-train with other activities that allow you to maintain overall fitness levels while your injured body part recovers.
When it comes to sports-related injuries, what facts do your patients find the most surprising?
Patients are usually surprised by how long it takes to heal from overused injuries. Many people believe that they should be healed in a week, but it could take up to 6 weeks for an injured joint to heal.
Have you seen a lot of patients with injuries from home-based exercise programs like “Insanity” or “P90X”?
Yes. We’ve seen injuries due to unsafe exercising environments, secondary to poor training techniques and methods, and weaknesses in muscles, tendons and ligaments.
What advice would you offer to someone considering a home-based exercise program?
First, talk to your doctor before starting any new activities. Second, consider getting a session with a professional trainer to make sure you are doing exercises correctly and using the right form and technique. And finally, when you feel pain stop the activity and seek medical advice.
Indiana’s nationally ranked orthopedics program
IU Health is home to Indiana’s only nationally ranked orthopedics program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s list of the nation’s top 50 programs.
For more information about IU Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, visit www.iuhealth.org/orthopedics where you can also take a Concussion Quiz.
