Sports Medicine: Respecting your body,
while meeting your performance goals

The choices you make in life make you.
Coach John Wooden

A torn rotator cuff from an overhead volleyball spike. An injured meniscus of the knee, while doing a "spin move" around your opponent on the basketball court. Your first run of the season, and you forgot to warm up – and now, a pulled hamstring.

All common referrals from physicians to Bay Regional’s Center for Rehabilitation. "These can be student athlete injuries, or adult injuries from competitive league play or individual exercise," says Bill Olson, physical therapist, with training in sports medicine rehabilitation.

"Each injury is as individual as the athlete. Much depends on how well conditioned their body is, whether it’s a first-time or repeat injury, and what the patient’s long-term athletic goals are. Let’s take a meniscal tear. There are two menisci in your knee. Each rests between the thigh bone and the shin bone. The meniscus is cartilage that conforms to the bones upon which they rest, distributing weight evenly across the knee joint. The meniscus is important to knee health, so unless the tear is very minor and the person is older, it’s likely the choice will be to restore the knee’s anatomy for joint stability.

"The rehab program for the meniscus tear is quite similar to that of any sports injury. By that, I mean we do an initial assessment. Sometimes, the physician or surgeon will refer a minor tear to us for evaluation. If the athlete can bear weight on the injured leg, has full range-of-motion, and pain only when range-of-motion is complete, we may recommend rehabilitation without surgery. If the athlete has had a severe twisting injury, or is unable to walk, surgery may be required prior to rehabilitation.

"We want to know what the athlete’s goals are. Does he or she want to go back to the sport for fun, or to play competitively? What are the possibilities of re-injury? What exercise program can we design to maintain and restore full mobility? What can help keep the patient mobile as he or she ages?

"The sports injury treatment team and the patient agree on the treatment plan. It doesn’t work if the patient doesn’t follow through with home exercises outside our rehab facility. Within three weeks, patients should have the skills needed to return to their sports, but continuing the strength and mobility exercises they’ve learned in rehab.

"I’ve talked about one sports injury among many we see," stresses Bill. We push our patients hard, so they leave in much better condition than they ever anticipated. Patients need to understand and respect their bodies, and how their bodies function during exercise. After they leave rehab, it’s the individual who’s responsible for keeping his or her the body in condition."