Behind injury prevention and recovery

There have been a slew of changes in the sports world in the last few years. Watch any highlight of a football or basketball game from the 80s or 90s , and the differences will immediately jump out at you. The uniforms, equipment, padding and strategy have all changed, while the players have gotten increasingly larger, faster and stronger.

One thing that remains constant, however, is the ever-present risk of injury in sports. It’s not surprising, really. What else would you expect when you pit the biggest and most physically fit young men and women against each other in competition? In a sport like football, where athletes launch themselves at one another to make or break a tackle, it’s almost expected someone will come away injured.

A wide range of teams and athletes at N.C . State means a wide range of potential injuries. To deal with this issue, the University has four main athletic training facilities throughout campus. These facilities provide state of the art equipment (such as an underwater treadmill with video and computer control at the Murphy Football Complex Sports Medicine facility) to get Wolfpack athletes back up and running.

In addition, the University provides a fleet of certified athletic trainers and strength and conditioning coaches to assist with an athlete’s recovery. Phil Hedrick , head football athletic trainer, is responsible for the healthcare needs of the football program and maintaining the Murphy Center Athletic Training Room.

“We’re very fortunate that the administration we have has provided excellent facilities for our athletes,” Hedrick said. “We’re fortunate to be at a place where the health and well-being of our athletes is paramount.”

Hedrick works to ensure each football player has done all the preparation possible to prevent injuries and proper measures are taken when an athlete suffers an injury. During the football season, he deals with injuries that arise from contact on the field while the off-season work is more focused on injuries from overuse. When an athlete is injured, their recovery relies on a progression of rehabilitation exercises.

The first action taken against an injury, such as a sprained ankle, is to reduce any swelling that may occur. The range of motion must then be restored in that joint and the area where the injury occurred is strengthened. Eventually the athlete will be cleared to return to the field where they run through drills relevant to their position.

“There’s no one injury we see more often than others,” Hedrick said. There’s a wide range from head to toe. The athletes go through year-round training with strength and conditioning coaches to prepare their bodies for the season.

“Stretching and strengthening are the two most important things these guys do to prevent injuries.”

Robert Murphy, director of sports medicine at the University, oversees the overall operation of treatment facilities as well as supervising the prevention and treatment of injuries to student athletes.

“We work hand-in-hand with our strength and conditioning coaches to develop programs for at-risk athletes,” Murphy said.

An at-risk athlete can be anyone who has suffered from a particular injury multiple times in the past, or someone who may be physically disposed to injury.

“If we know somebody has a chronic issue, we’re going to address that issue as much as possible,” Murphy said, noting something like a high-arched foot can lead to ankle sprains. Prevention for something like an ankle sprain includes flexibility exercises to strengthen the ankle, as well as taping the ankle before a game to reinforce it.

Sprained ankles are quite common in the athletic training industry, and it’s not difficult to see why. Sliding into a base the wrong way, coming down awkwardly after going up for a rebound or missing a step on the tennis court could all lead to an ankle injury.

In addition to sprained ankles, concussions also receive a lot of attention. The brain is surrounded by fluid that acts as a cushion between the brain and the skull, but this cushion may not absorb more severe impacts.

Concussions are most commonly associated with football, where helmet-to-helmet contact can cause them, but they can occur in any sport. Murphy likened a concussion to a snow globe, with the brain acting as the globe and neurotransmitters acting as the snow. When a concussion occurs and the globe is shaken, you have to wait until the brain can return to normal before returning to action.

“Ninety percent of all concussions resolve themselves with no symptoms within seven to 10 days,” Murphy said.

Concussions, like all injuries suffered by student athletes, are closely monitored to ensure the damage that has occurred is minimized and no further damage occurs. They are important to observe, as they deal with the brain rather than a normal body part.

“I can fix a knee, I can replace a knee, I can stick steel in it, I can make it almost brand new, but I can’t replace your brain,” Murphy said.

Fortunately for the student athletes at the University, they have a choice of advanced facilities and dedicated staff to aid them should they suffer an injury.