Should kids lift and if so, how?!?!

As with everything, what can be good can also be bad… It comes down to quantity and quality. No time is too early to start the love and joy of being active. What is most important is learning body control and muscle memory. We never want to poor body control or over use and induce tendinosis, joint pain, or growth plate damage. The safest way to start a child into working out is to follow a few simple guidelines.

Continue reading “Should Kids Lift” →

    

 – Therapeutic grade, goal-oriented massage therapy with a purpose

– Their skills have allowed them to work with professional, Olympic, college, and high school athletes, National recording artists, kids, expecting mothers.

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http://gomastodons.com/news/2016/10/25/general-mastodons-hold-life-after-athletics-panel-for-student-athletes.aspx

Mastodons Hold “Life After Athletics” Alumni Panel For Student-Athletes

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne athletic department held the first “Life After Athletics” alumni panel on Friday (Oct. 21) for current Mastodon junior and senior student-athletes. The luncheon featured four former Fort Wayne student-athletes sharing their stories of how they transitioned from a student-athlete to the professional world.

The panel included Dr. Claire Jackson-Hemphill (women’s volleyball, 2003-07), Dr. Dustin Sherman (men’s volleyball, 2000-04), Cassie Wolfe-Antos (softball, 2009-13) and Alli Hook-Meyer (2008-12). The group touched on multiple topics, including how to convey the skills developed as a Division I student-athlete to potential employers, who they leaned on for support following their playing career, finding an outlet for the need for competition, staying in good health and dealing with success and failure in the professional setting.

Additionally, 25 other Mastodon student-athletes emailed their thoughts on the transition to the professional world. Their experiences were also featured in the presentation.

“Student-athletes, SALT, student-athlete alumni, IPFW Career Services, Dr. Kim McDonald and Alumni Relations all contributed their expertise to help put this event together,” Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Christine Kuznar said. “I thank them for their support.”

The alumni panel luncheon was created with assistance through Kuznar’s participation in the IPFW Leadership Academy.

The real-world benefits of strengthening your core   

Healthbeat

January 24, 2012

http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-real-world-benefits-of-strengthening-your-core

Think of your core muscles as the sturdy central link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body. Whether you’re hitting a tennis ball or mopping the floor, the necessary motions either originate in your core, or move through it.

No matter where motion starts, it ripples upward and downward to adjoining links of the chain. Thus, weak or inflexible core muscles can impair how well your arms and legs function. And that saps power from many of the moves you make. Properly building up your core cranks up the power. A strong core also enhances balance and stability. Thus, it can help prevent falls and injuries during sports or other activities. In fact, a strong, flexible core underpins almost everything you do: Continue reading “The real-world benefits of strengthening your core” →

Concussions

Everyday there is more research and information about concussions available to the public. And never before has awareness been higher. It has been the talk of the media with the recent increase in retired NFL players and pro wrestlers committing suicide after dealing with behavioral and emotional changes likely from multiple concussions causing the permanent brain damage called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). However, it is surprising how many people are unaware of how to determine if someone has a concussion and what steps to take if they do. And we must remember concussions can result from a one time major trauma or repeated mild trauma.

The best place to start is discussion what a concussion really is:

“The brain is made of soft tissue and is cushioned by spinal fluid. It is encased in the hard, protective skull. When a person gets a head injury, the brain can move around inside the skull and even bang against it. This can lead to  bruising of the brain, tearing of blood vessels, and injury to the nerves. When this happens, a person can get a concussion — a temporary loss of normal brain function.”

–      http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/first_aid/concussions.html

There is also a lot of confusion as to the symptoms of a concussion. Many people think there as to be a loss of consciousness but in fact the symptoms are quite varying and range in severity. This list below is from www.STOPSportsInjuries.org.

Concussion symptoms include the following:

• Balance problems
• Difficulty communicating, concentrating
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Feeling emotional
• Feeling mentally foggy
• Headache
• Irritability
• Memory difficulties
• Nausea
• Nervousness
• Numbness or tingling
• Sadness
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Sleeping more than usual or difficulty falling asleep
• Visual problems – blurry or double vision
• Vomiting
• Balance problems
• Difficulty communicating, concentrating
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Feeling emotional
• Feeling mentally foggy
• Headache
• Irritability

The first steps any coach, family member or friend needs to take when a suspected head trauma has occurred is to remove the injured person from activity. Second, look for any of the signs and symptoms mentioned above (but remember some may take time to present). If any are present the individual should not return to the activity and should seek medical attention. Parent or spouse should be informed of the incident and educated to watch for the signs and symptoms (http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/STOP/STOP/Prevent_Injuries/Concussion.aspx).

As a coach, recording the following information can help health care professionals in assessing the athlete after the injury:

• Cause of the injury and force of the hit or blow to the head or body
• Any loss of consciousness (passed out/knocked out) and if so, for how long
• Any memory loss immediately following the injury
• Any seizures immediately following the injury
• Number of previous concussions (if any)

–      http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/sports/response.html

Return to activity or sport should not happen until cleared by a medical professional (in many states this is the law).  When returning to activity the individual should do so slowly.

1. no activity
2. light aerobic exercise, such as walking or stationary cycling (no resistance training)
3. sports-specific exercise (for example, running in soccer, skating in hockey)
4. non-contact training drills
5. full contact training after medical clearance

–      http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/first_aid/concussions.html

We can all help to reduce the number of concussions that occur during sports by encouraging safer practices. These would include things such as “enforcing rules to minimize player to player contact” as when: two soccer players competing for a header collide heads (http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org /“Heading Not the Main Safety Concern for Soccer Players“). The most recent ruling was the recent rule change of no headers at all in soccer for ages of 10 and younger. Also, several teams from pee wee to college have instituted non-tackle practices.  It is also important to make sure that safety equipment fits properly and is in good condition (http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/ “Get Your Head on Straight and Make Sure You Have a Properly Fitted Helmet”)).

And always remember       When in doubt, sit them out

Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome

The Adrenal glands are to small glands that sit on top of the kidneys. Their functions are to provide hormones and to help regulate certain body functions such as:

• Stress hormones
  • Cortisol: helps keep balance of many functions including blood sugar, metabolism, heart and blood vessel tone and central nervous system.
  • Adrenaline: quickly prepares the body for stressful situations.
• Aldosterone: helps control blood pressure
• Helps regulate inflammation.
• Helps regulate the immune system.
• Helps regulate our sleep/wake cycles

Like every organ in the body things can go wrong giving rise to a variety of diseases, some of which include Addisons disease (think President Kennedy, is adrenal insufficiency due to low cortisol and aldosterone), Cushing’s syndrome (the opposite of Addison’s, there is an overproduction of Cortisol), and Adrenal Cancer.

A more common issue with the Adrenal gland appears to be Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. This occurs then the adrenals are constantly active due to the perception of constant stress. This over activation causes too much of the hormones to be secreted, unbalances the body’s normal functions and “burns out” the adrenals causing them to shut down.

The drastic swing from too much to too little hormones creates a feeling of high energy or stress followed by large let down and exhausted feeling.

Continue reading “Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome” →

Leaf raking safety

Once again the crunch of leaves on the ground and the cool breezes signal the arrival of autumn. But soon the beauty of the changing colors and smells of fall let way to the need of raking! If there are kids around, you will be faced with an increased amount of time spent gathering all the leaves into a wonderful pile for them to jump in. But with all of this raking comes the potential for injuries. So we ask you be mindful of how you rake and keep these simple tips to keep Fall fun.

1. Warm-up and stretch for a few minutes before raking. (Back, Shoulder and wrist stretches)
2. Use a rake that is the correct size for you and for your task.
3. Wear gloves to avoid blisters.
4. Do not twist, instead move at your hips and legs.
5. Keep elbows close to your sides to prevent shoulder injuries.
6. Do not throw leaves with the rake, instead pull them towards you.
7. Avoid bending over to pick up leaves or bags of leaves, use proper lifting techniques (keep low back straight and bend at the hips.)
8. Cool down stretch and ice if necessary when finished.

As with shoveling you should pace yourself, drink water and take breaks when needed.

If you experience shortness of breath or chest pain call 911.

And for the kids, make sure you know what is in that pile of leaves before they jump in. Many times the leaves may be raked up to a rock or other object, and a forgotten rake left in the pile could end in a painful or dangerous jump.