All right, we know obviously summer's here.
Everyone's getting out there
to get their sports on right?
Approximately 8.6 million sports and
recreation related injuries though occur
in the US annually according to the CDC.
So we're working for you here,
keeping you safe, keeping your healthy
for you and your family members.
Sports injuries often increase during the
summer as people are less active in the
winter and many try to do too much too soon.
Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist Dr.
Leichener is here now with more on the
injury prevention tips and keeping
us all healthy here this summer.
I mean, this is the time we want to be out,
doctor having fun doing those sports, right?
You're absolutely right.
Thank you for having me.
This is a time where we see a
huge increase in people getting
outside and being active,
which is overall a great thing.
There are so many benefits to being active
regularly from chronic disease management,
your physical health,
your mental health.
So it's something we really
want to encourage.
By preventing some injuries?
Sure. What? What should people do?
Obviously stretching out.
I feel like the older I get,
the more I stretch, that better
prepares me for what I've got ahead.
Is that one of the tips or
what else would you recommend?
Absolutely. Stretching is super
important and there are lots of ways
that you can incorporate stretching.
The main thing to do is really to
start slow and progress gradually.
We all want to kind of start where we
want to be, but you have to start where
you are and kind of go from there.
With regards to stretching,
kind of adding variety into your exercise as.
Really important.
So you know, you may just really want
to hit it hard with the pickleball,
but doing some cross training,
some strength training,
some core stability work and then
rest and recovery is a really big,
a really big entry prevention tool.
Yeah, it's funny you mentioned pickleball.
That really has taken off.
It's such a fun game.
I played with my family.
But look, it can get intense and
it can get just as competitive as
tennis because you're doing a lot
of the same motions, the back and
forth on the knees and the joints.
And you got it.
You got to still be careful.
And even though it's a smaller court,
you guys got to make sure that
you're prepared and maybe
warmed up a bit, right?
Absolutely. The warm up is super key.
Cool down is really key.
I think a lot of times people think, oh,
pickleball is a lot easier than doing this.
So I can play every single day.
But you really want to incorporate
those same principles of am I
getting the adequate rest for
these muscle units that I'm using?
And am I prepared to really play this often?
Sure. Fitness myths that are out
there that you'd like to dispel.
At all. I mean, I know when we
go to the beach we think hey,
nothing's gonna hurt cuz I'm on the
sand like it's gonna pad my fall right?
Or even in the water.
I mean is there some myths out there
that you've heard doctor from other
people that maybe it's time to dispel?
I think one of the biggest myths is
playing through pain. That's that
rub some dirt and it keep going.
That's my old dad's mentality back
in the day. Shrubs some dirt on it.
Yeah, it's really common.
But really if something is hurting,
that's your body telling you
something is not quite right.
It doesn't mean you have to run
to your doctor right away, but.
You know, think about OK,
am I warming up appropriately?
Am I giving myself enough rest?
Maybe it's time to employ a coach.
How's my form? Yeah.
And if it's really not improving that's
the time to get some professional help.
Look I've been limping around The
Newsroom asked my Co anchors.
They've been seeing me do it.
I've had this knee issue since
that my high school college days
just get started out gradual.
Now it's to the point where it's just
I have to have a doctor's appointment
today at scripts to get it addressed.
So it's one of those things
doctor where it's like.
I wish I would have just
gotten it addressed sooner.
The persistence did y'all play through it.
Like, I'll it'll go away.
It's not going to go away.
People.
You got to get these things addressed,
right.
You're absolutely right.
And sometimes if you wait longer,
it takes a little bit longer for it to
get better, not to be the very bad.
Yeah, I know.
I figured that was going to be the case.
Yeah, I may be instructor pretty soon,
or at least walking around with some,
I don't know, some sort of
a boot or something.
So yeah, make sure you get to
check it on your health.
Start with the family doctor
or if you have some concerns,
I think it's absolutely appropriate
to start with your family.
Family doctor, they can kind of get
you started on imaging if you need
it and an appropriate kind of rehab
protocol with physical therapy.
If that's not going well or you
really have something that you
think needs specialty care there,
you can always kind of see your
sports medicine doctor or your
orthopedist to kind of get a
little bit more specialized
in high school sports.
We got the football 2A days
all starting up here. Parents,
please talk to your kids. Right.
Ask how they're doing a see him
walking a little weird, be involved,
right. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Summertime is a really.
A big time where people really hit it hard.
We have high school athletes
who are trying to either make
JV or Varsity come next year.
We've college athletes who are
home for the summer and with a
little bit less supervision.
So it's something I'm seeing a lot in
clinic as people really overdoing it.
In those demographics.
Where can people learn more?
A great place to start is scripts.org/ortho.
There are lots of really awesome sports
medicine providers and people probably
are not always that excited to see us,
but we spend a lot of
time training so we care.
Happy to keep you guys out.
You're going to help us out, All right,
stay with us, we'll be right back.