Sports Injuries
Preventable or Just Part of the Game?
Adam Lawless
Issue date: 3/22/07 Section: Sports
Sports are meant to be fun ways for people to interact with one another. In college, sports can act as a kind of release from the everyday monotony of classes and homework. However, that fun and release can sometimes come at a price.
Injuries are very common among athletes of all ages, but some might say that the twenty-something notion of being invincible adds to the risk.
Utica College head athletic trainer Dan Sheffer has been treating sports injuries at UC on a daily basis for the past five years. During that time, he has worked along side players, coaches, and team physicians and has seen and dealt with many different injuries.
The most common injuries that Sheffer deals with happen to the weight bearing parts of the body. For example, soccer players often shift their weight and momentum at high speeds. Their ankles and knees are the weight bearing components that allow them to do so. They are also the body parts that are easily injured.
In most sports, the weight bearing part of the body is found in the legs. However, swimming uses the arms and shoulders to propel the body through the water. The shoulders then become the weight bearing component and body part most commonly injured.
Tim Vondell, a junior at UC, has played football for the college since his freshman year. He is very active and physically fit. Having played sports for most of his life, Vondell knows how to properly prepare his body before working out or playing a game. However, that did not stop him from being injured.
"I tore my quad during the summer," Vondell said. "Sometimes there is nothing you can do. Injuries are a fact of life."
Injuries may be a fact of life, but is there a way to lessen the odds of being injured?
According to Dan Sheffer, there is. "Preventing injuries is like baking a cake," Sheffer said. "There are a series of steps involved. If you miss any one step along the way, you are going to end up hurt."
Sheffer said there are a few innate factors to consider when trying to prevent an injury. The first of which is flexibility. This factor contributes to the looseness of the muscles in the body. The looser the muscles, the lower the risk of injury. Each person has a different range of flexibility and because of this, stretching is key to preparing the body for an intense workout.
Injuries are very common among athletes of all ages, but some might say that the twenty-something notion of being invincible adds to the risk.
Utica College head athletic trainer Dan Sheffer has been treating sports injuries at UC on a daily basis for the past five years. During that time, he has worked along side players, coaches, and team physicians and has seen and dealt with many different injuries.
The most common injuries that Sheffer deals with happen to the weight bearing parts of the body. For example, soccer players often shift their weight and momentum at high speeds. Their ankles and knees are the weight bearing components that allow them to do so. They are also the body parts that are easily injured.
In most sports, the weight bearing part of the body is found in the legs. However, swimming uses the arms and shoulders to propel the body through the water. The shoulders then become the weight bearing component and body part most commonly injured.
Tim Vondell, a junior at UC, has played football for the college since his freshman year. He is very active and physically fit. Having played sports for most of his life, Vondell knows how to properly prepare his body before working out or playing a game. However, that did not stop him from being injured.
"I tore my quad during the summer," Vondell said. "Sometimes there is nothing you can do. Injuries are a fact of life."
Injuries may be a fact of life, but is there a way to lessen the odds of being injured?
According to Dan Sheffer, there is. "Preventing injuries is like baking a cake," Sheffer said. "There are a series of steps involved. If you miss any one step along the way, you are going to end up hurt."
Sheffer said there are a few innate factors to consider when trying to prevent an injury. The first of which is flexibility. This factor contributes to the looseness of the muscles in the body. The looser the muscles, the lower the risk of injury. Each person has a different range of flexibility and because of this, stretching is key to preparing the body for an intense workout.
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