Not yet tired

 

Once and for all, I’m not retired. I don’t really have plans to retire anytime soon. But I get asked that question almost every day. “When are you going to retire?” Are you trying to tell me something? Maybe I should? Maybe I can’t do the work anymore?

Or, “I thought you were retired.” The Daily Times ran an article on me as I was stepping aside as the Head Athletic Trainer at Maryville High School in 2020. I’ve been denying that retirement ever since.

No, you can still find me, five days a week, serving as a Sports Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer at Total Rehabilitation-Cherokee, part of the Blount Memorial/Prisma Health System.

I will tell you that I have stepped back into the sports coverage a bit. You will find me on the sidelines of both Maryville High’s boys and girls soccer teams. That is mostly because I have grandchildren on both of those teams. And on the sidelines of Maryville Junior High’s football team, as I have a grandson on that team as well.

I’ve missed that part of my professional life. If you know me, you know that one of my absolute favorite places to be in the world is a high school football sidelines on a Friday night. But I have no regrets. My lovely wife put up with my absences for 40+ years and I’m sure my kids got the short end of the daddy stick from time to time.

But I love being back on the sidelines. This year’s MHS girls soccer team will remain a favorite. They were awesome, fun, competitive, and selfless. Andie, Raelynne, Katy, Robledo, Ollie—all of you. Girls, it was a joy to be around you. And I’ll always have a gummy for you if you need one.

I’m already looking forward to the boys season in the spring. Hughes, Pete, Devan, Jess…you guys have got some big shoes to fill but it will be fun if you put in the work.

As for work, yeah, 40 hours a week at Cherokee. Not all sports—lots of total joints being done that need rehab.  And shoulders that need what I have to offer. I might (as some have suggested) die on the job. I hope not. I wouldn’t want the good folks I work with to have to go through that. I’ll try and take a PTO day on that day.

Yes, I work a lot..but as they say, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. And that thing that all the Millenials seek—work/life balance, I think I’ve got that covered.

I ride my mountain bike at least a couple of times a week and on weekends, you might find me guiding mountain bike trips at Blackberry Mountain. I’m getting more and more into flyfishing. As the real fishermen say “trout don’t live in ugly places.” There is something about wading into a mountain stream and casting a fly, hoping for a rise from the prettiest fish God made.

I’m still active in my state and national professional associations. I often provide guest lectures at physical therapy programs across the state, simply because I want young physical therapy professionals to have the life and the career that I’ve had.

So, if you’re looking for me, you might find me in the clinic. Or on the trail. Or in a trout stream somewhere. Maybe even on my farm—that’s another thing that I love doing.

But if a grandchild is playing a game, or doing most anything really, I will probably be there. For as I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the most important gift we have to give is our presence.

How do you respond to a crisis?

 

What is your first reaction when you hear about something bad that has happened?  How do you respond?  Do you seem like a “deer in the headlights?” Lost. Confused. Not sure what to do.  Or can you be counted on?

I want to address a couple of groups of folks today that are faced with crisis situations on a regular basis.

Paramedics and EMT’s face horrific situations almost daily. Car wrecks. Shootings. Somebody’s worst day. I believe if that ambulance shows up at your crisis, those are people you can count on.

Their actions can often make the difference between life and death.  They must arrive calm, cool, and collected.  I happen to believe that they are very special people, smarter than most and possessing great emotional strength.

Most of them have been present at some time when someone drew their last breath. I’m sure it takes a toll, but they know they have a job to do. Oh, and they are definitely underpaid. WAY underpaid. Especially considering the gravity of the work they do.

Athletic Trainers face a lot of catastrophic situations, usually not on the scale of the Paramedics and EMT’s, but it still happens.  And when an athlete goes down, they have to react instantly, staying focused on what is front of them--doing what the situation calls for, making decisions that might not be life or death, but facing situations where their immediate actions have implications.

I’m an Athletic Trainer. Have been for 43+ years. Proud of it. Ask any experienced (older) Athletic Trainer about their experiences and you might get the story of a life saved or a catastrophe averted. 

Mine happened at a JV football game many years ago. We were playing a team not too far away and their quarterback got sandwiched between two big ol’ defensive linemen. He went down but didn’t get up.

They had medical personnel on their sideline but when those folks got the player up and tried to “walk it off,” I intervened.  From nearby, I could tell something wasn’t right. His legs were wobbly and they were mostly carrying him.

So, even though it was not my player and they had their own staff, I intervened.  I insisted they lay him back down and motioned for the folks on the ambulance crew in attendance to join us.

They flew him out on a medical helicopter. The kid spent 8 days in the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit at UT Hospital and was OK, but the outcome could have been much worse.

The decisions made in an instant can determine the outcome, good or bad.  We are trained to make those decisions.  And we don’t have the latitude to be wrong.

Sometimes, it is just whether an athlete can play on a sprained ankle or an injured knee.  We have to be good at that too. 

I can tell you that the most gratifying thing that can happen to any of us is when that person that is injured looks in your eyes and knows that they are safe—and maybe they are a little less frightened at that moment.

When a crisis happens, these are the folks that you want to see.

These are the best of days...

 

Lately, I find myself thinking back to a childhood that seems idyllic looking in the rearview mirror.  Being a kid back then was very different than it is today. Not better, just different.  Things that I did back then, I would never think of allowing my kids do when they were kids.

My summer routine from the time I was 9 or 10 was to leave the house on my bicycle, ride into town, where most of my friends lived, and fill my day with fun and adventures. I lived about a mile away from downtown and thought nothing of that bike ride.

Today, there are bike teams and developmental programs. And roads that just don’t seem safe anymore. But a talented cyclist today can go places and do things we never knew existed.

There wasn’t a public pool in my hometown so if we wanted to go swimming, we jumped in the nearest body of water. All of us could swim and never gave a thought to any dangers.

These days, it’s 4 AM wakeup calls to get to swimming practice.  And, for those serious enough, a second practice that afternoon.

Coach Ratledge, the high school football coach, provided a program called Summer Recreation, downtown at the only ballpark in town.  Some days we would do crafts but most days we would divide up into teams and play baseball, with Coach Ratledge as the only umpire.

These days, it’s Little League and private coaches. And travel teams for everything.  I once joined my son and his daughter on an excursion that included soccer games in Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Don’t get me wrong—it was an awesome trip and we really made the best of it, but that’s a 1400 mile road trip for two games.

It seems like we were always throwing something. Chucking rocks at a road sign, keeping score on who hit it the most times. And skipping rocks across a pond, counting the number of skips. 

I see kids today that have reached puberty and have never thrown anything.  They have to learn the throwing motion from scratch, learning something that just came naturally to us.

And tennis. We had borrowed balls and borrowed rackets for the longest time, and no public courts to play on, but we played all the time. It’s a bit different today.

But before you assume that it was good back then and bad today, let me tell you that both were and are wonderful. Kids today have lots more opportunities. We had football and basketball.  If girls didn’t play basketball, they didn’t have anything to play.

Kids are better today.  More athletic. Bigger, stronger, faster. As good as my high school football team might have been, we would have struggled against a good team today.  And there probably wouldn’t have been much place for a 190 pound right tackle (me).

Fewer kids played sports back then because there just wasn’t much opportunity for them. These days, there’s something for everybody. Things we had never heard of back then are common today. Soccer. Lacrosse. Martial arts. Even things like volleyball, softball, and flag football for girls.

No, yesterday was not perfect, yet it was the best of times, and the worst of times. Just like today. 

 

Be That Friend...

 

My kids will tell you—they were never allowed to ride in the back of a pickup truck. Keep in mind, that just about their whole lives, I have owned a pickup truck.

My daughter was particularly embarrassed one time when she had ridden a short distance in the back of a pickup of the dad of one of her friends, and had planned to return to that friend’s house riding once again in the back of that pickup truck.

I said no.  As in, adamantly no. It was quite embarrassing for her. “But all my friends do it!”

All my friends do it. Parents, how many times have you heard that?

That great philosopher (and former football coach and guidance counselor) David Ellis tells the story of two friends walking along the sidewalk, when one of them starts to step into the street into incoming traffic.

Of course, the other friend grabs them and pulls them back to safety. Of course they do. Everybody would do that.

Coach Ellis’s story continues. So, if you would keep your friend from stepping into traffic, why wouldn’t you stop them when they are about to do something else dangerous? Or stupid? Are the circumstances not the same?

Isn’t that what friends do?  Yes, without hesitation!

So, why don’t we apply the same logic, the same scenario, when our friends are about to get into things like alcohol and drugs? Or hanging out with the wrong people?  Or are putting themselves in a dangerous position?

My own parents’ admonition if I were ever to say “but all my friends are doing it” was the same thing—if all your friends are jumping off a bridge, would you jump too? Uh, no, I guess not.

Here’s the bottom line:  Our friends often have more influence on our behaviors than our parents.

There have been three former football players at Maryville High School that have died of drug overdose. I could sugarcoat it, but that serves no real purpose.  It is what it is.

I don’t know if the problem is any different at that school than any other, I just knew those kids and I was part of that athletic program for decades.

These were good kids—kids I enjoyed being around. But if you think for a minute this couldn’t happen in your family or on your team, you’re wrong.

Teach your kids about things in this world that they shouldn’t do, but maybe it’s more important to teach them to help their friends make better decisions.

Young people—be that friend that keeps somebody from stepping off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic.  

 

It's time...

 

I had a colonscopy this week.  It isn’t the first time.  I have a strong family history of colon cancer so since I was 40, I have had a colonoscopy any time my Gastroenterologist tells me to. 

For years, it was Dr. Ed Brown.  a kind, gentle man, Dr. Brown was the kind of doctor that you want for this kind of problem. 

After he retired, those duties fell to Dr. Isaac Cline. I’ve known Dr. Cline sine long before he became Dr. Cline.  When he was but a boy, his dad (also Dr. Cline, as is his mother) brought him to me for an injury. He was later an outstanding lineman for us on the Maryville High School football team.

Like Dr. Brown before him, Dr. Cline is patient, caring, and thorough. I am literally trusting him with my life.

Now (you might ask), what do colon cancer and colonscopy and gastroenterology and all this have to do with sports.  After all, this is in the sports page.

Oh, I suppose I could stretch it to say that I still consider myself an athlete and this is part of being active and healthy in these, my senior years.  Or I could use it to write about a young man that was a hard-working, dedicated football player and maybe turned those sports lessons into a medical career.

But that’s stretching it a bit, though true.  And it’s not really about me.  A young friend of my children has recently been diagnosed with advanced state colon cancer. But this really isn’t about her either. I know she will get the best possible care and should live a long and happy life.

No, this one’s for you.  And, yes, I know, I’ve written this same thing before. But it bears repeating

Colon cancer is completely treatable if detected early.  I actually started colon screenings in my 30’s.  There’s a thing called a Fecal Occult Test, basically testing for blood in your feces (as my granddaughter said—ewwwww!).

Those at high risk, mainly those with a family history of colon cancer, need to get a colonoscopy, beginning at age 40. But those without a family history also need to get checked.  Dr. Cline noted that those without a family history of colon cancer often don’t get checked until they have symptoms, and that is late in the game. 

He also notes that colon cancer is not just genetic, that it is often largely environmental. Those that are smokers, eat a lot of processed food, are obese, and who consume significant amounts of alcohol are also at risk and need to be checked. It’s actually a good idea for everyone 20 and older to see their Primary Care Physician on an annual basis. Period. No exceptions.

The colonoscopy really isn’t as bad as it sounds—you’re asleep the whole time during the procedure.  The hard part is the liquid diet the day before.  My go-to sustenance is warm lime Jello and Dr. Peppers.  All day long.

My exam this year is the best one I’ve had and years, but I can tell you the only thing on my mind when I woke up was food.  For me, that was a breakfast bowl at Calloway’s Tennessee Kitchen. Biscuit and gravy with added on Springer Mountain Chicken and Benton’s Bacon. The thought of that got me through a very long Tuesday and the procedure on Wednesday. You do whatever it takes.

If you’re at risk, get checked soon.  Don’t put it off.  I won’t tell you it’s easy, but I will tell you that it is important.

Give Them A Break

 

This one is going to make a few folks unhappy.  And maybe a few more folks squirm a bit. 

But what I’m about to write about is backed by science, experience, and common sense—the magical triumvirate that reaches beyond argument.

And no less an authority that Dr. Jim Andrews has made this topic his late career mission.  If you don’t know who Dr. Andrews is, let me introduce you.  He’s only the leading sports orthopedist in history. Sure, that’s my opinion, but people who know that arena are likely to agree with me.

 Dr. Andrews is the founder of Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham and co-founder of the American Sports Medicine Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to injury prevention, education, and research.

Even in semi-retirement, he serves the University of Alabama, Auburn University, and the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.  Among his celebrity patients are Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley, Roger Clemens, Michael Jordan, Drew Brees, Triple H, and Brett Favre.

 Dr. Andrews’ research has pointed to a drastic increase in injuries among young athletes.  “What we’ve seen is a five- to sevenfold increase in injury rates in youth sports across the board. The systems out there in youth sports, particularly travel ball, have been important financial resources for the people who run them. Parents spend a fortune keeping their kids in a year-round sport, with travel and everything else. What’s happening is, the tail is wagging the dog. The systems are calling the shots: If your son or daughter doesn’t play my sport year-round, he or she can’t play for me. Never mind that your kid is 12 — I need year-round dedication.”

 And therein is the problem.  Youth sport injuries are rampant. I’ve seen the same thing.  Most of the injuries among young athletes are overuse injuries, although there has been a definite uptick in more catastrophic injuries as well.  12 year olds with ACL tears used to be rare—now they happen at an alarming rate.

 Before you call me a hypocrite, let me tell you that I have two grandchildren that play a single sport year-round. High school to club and back again. And my own kids narrowed it down to a single sport before they finished high school.

I get it. I will also say the system is flawed. Let me offer a couple of solutions. The best advice is to let your child play multiple sports.  Sports specialization early is a huge mistake. It just doesn’t work. They won’t develop the athleticism to truly excel at sport, regardless of what sport they ultimately settle on.

But, if your child has narrowed their sports participation down to one sport, then let them take time off.  Every year.  2-3 months, minimum. And use that time to get stronger, faster, better.

 

Dr. Andrews final advice: “Give them time off to recover. Please. Give them time to recover.”

 

End of Cramp Season?

 

We might be near the end of Cramp Season, but it still shows up here and there.  “Cramp Season?”  What is that (you might ask)? Well, I just made it up. Cramp Season is that time of year when you might see an athlete writhing on the field, with muscles in spasm.

What is a cramp? If you know, you know. But from a sort-of medical perspective, a cramp is when a muscle forcibly contracts without an injury.  It most often happens toward the end of a great physical effort, usually toward the end of the game. And usually (but not always) in hot weather.

A term has actually been created to define it—Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMC).  The dreaded EAMC.  You laugh now, but if you have one, you won’t be laughing. 

If you’re that athlete, you think you might die, while that hamstring or calf muscle spasms up and convinces you that the end is near.  For us old folks, it still happens, but a study that I just made up indicates that it most often happens at night to us senior citizens. 

If you are an athlete, you’ve probably experienced EAMC.  If you’re a spectator, you’ve surely witnessed it.  The athlete is laying on the ground when someone nearby grabs their leg and holds it straight up in the air.  Somehow, that relieves some of the spasms.

Why would a muscle cramp like that?   There is certainly a neuromuscular component, but that may just be a protective mechanism where your body is just telling you that your body has had enough.

Muscle exhaustion is another source of cramps.  That one may also be that muscle’s chemistry telling you that it was not going to cooperate with further activity.

Most of the time, the blame is on dehydration and loss of electrolytes.  Heavy sweating can flush a lot of essential electrolytes from your system, again creating a mechanical or chemical response where the muscle goes into spasm. And it just makes sense that we sweat more in hot weather or with heavy exercise. Put the two together and the potential for cramping is obvious.

What to do?  Well, immediately it helps to stretch on the muscle involved. That’s why you see teammates grabbing the leg and stretching it up.  Gentle massage helps.  Even if you think you’re going to die first, it will subside.

It’s a whole lot better to prevent cramps.  That is done by being in great shape—conditioning is huge. But even then, it can happen. That’s where hydration and electrolyte replacement come in. Water is OK, but if you only hydrate with water, then you might develop a condition known as hyponatremia, which is where all those essential electrolytes are flushed out of your body. I’ve seen whole body cramps from hyponatremia.

No, you need sports drinks heavy on electrolytes and not those that are full of sugar (although some sugar helps those electrolytes get absorbed better).  Before, during, and after.

And if you are over the worst part of a cramp, you need to eat something sour. That’s right…sour.  Studies (not mine) have proved conclusively that it is the sour taste that triggers some neuromuscular mechanism that inhibits the cramp.  That’s why some folks swear by pickle juice—it isn’t the pickles or the juice, but the sour.  I use a variety of products but good ol’ fashioned Sweet Tarts may be about as good as anything.