Transcription:
Common Football Injuries and How to Prevent Them

Bill Klaproth (Host):  This is Children’s Health Checkup, where we answer parents' most common questions about raising healthy and happy kids. I’m Bill Klaproth and on this episode we put common footbal injuries under the microscope with our expert Jeff Baggett, Certified Athletic Trainer and Outreach Program Manager at The Children’s Health Andrew’s Institute for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and we'll be talking to Jeff about common football injuries and prevention. Jeff, thanks for your time. So, what are the most common football injuries that you see?

Jeff Baggett (Guest):  Well you are looking at a unique injury profile for each individual sport. Football specifically, you are looking at a lot of injuries that revolved around specific joints; so knees, ankles, shoulder, head and neck, spine or low back. Those are the most common that we typically see.

Host:  Right and how do these injuries vary by age? I would imagine as a young person grows; these injuries do kind of change.

Jeff:  That’s absolutely correct. Yeah, our younger youth age; their injury profile is a little bit different than what we would experience from a more mature athlete. You are looking at higher velocities, more immediate or acute injuries that result in more damage typically in the older athlete as compared to the younger youth. So, their injury profile is a little less, more chronic injuries, more overuse things that we can work on here in the clinic to try and address, hopefully before they become an issue.

Host:  Right. All right so, let’s take each of these body parts if you will, specifically one by one. So, you mentioned knees when it comes to football, that’s what we all think of right away. So, can you talk about the range of knee injuries that are common among football players?

Jeff:  Sure. So, you have a multitude of soft tissue injuries as well as structural injuries as well. So, you can occasionally see fractures of different types. Then you also start to see the collaterals, so the ACL, LCL, MCL; they are all sort of susceptible and with the addition of the PCL, which is a little less frequent, but we do see. So, each of them work on the overall structure of the knee itself and it’s placement from one bone to the other and so depending on the direction of stress, which ligament will be damaged. I will say though they are rare, but they do happen.

Host:  Right absolutely. Certainly in a high impact sport like football. So, then what about ankles? That too comes to mind when it comes to football.

Jeff:  Sure. Very common. We see a lot of ankle injuries and so they vary in severity. We typically grade them one to three, three being the most significant injury. And we see a whole bunch of different versions of that and there’s a lot of different ways that you can get yourself into trouble specifically with the foot and the ankle. Again, not terribly common, but one of the more common injuries that we see. The good news is that it is a very treatable injury and one that typically does not result in surgery.

Host:  Okay, that’s good to know. So, moving up the body if you will. Let’s talk about shoulder and arm injuries.

Jeff:  Yeah so, the injury profile is changed a little bit now with some rule changes in football. We’re starting to see a little bit more higher frequency in the upper extremity injuries. So, the same basic overall injury profile, but we’re seeing more of them. So, more clavicle injuries, more AC joint, shoulder, elbow; things that we saw a little smaller volume in have now sort of peaked and a lot of that I think has to do with the change in coaching as well as the change in rules.

Host:  That’s an interesting point you’re making about upper body injuries as tackling has changed to address the head injury issue, more kids are leading with the shoulder and doing heads up tackling which we all agree is a very good thing. Because we need to be watchful of head injuries but that’s probably why you are seeing more shoulder and upper body injuries. Is that right?

Jeff:  Yes sir. There is a little more exposure to the arm and upper extremity because you are avoiding contact with the head and neck area which I think we can all agree is probably a good thing.

Host:  Absolutely.

Jeff:  Yeah and so, we do see some concussions or concussion related injuries here in our clinic and it’s one of those things that can happen at any point in contact sports specifically as well as just regular life. If you live an active lifestyle, that’s one of the things that could happen. It does happen in football and it’s not terribly uncommon just in all sport.

Host:  Right anything else we should know about concussion, any signs or anything for a parent after a game that we should know about?

Jeff:  Sure. I think one of the big things and one of the big successes recently is that education is a lot better. So, the information that’s out there is a lot more open and honest. I think my best advice is that if there’s any signs or symptoms, anything that makes coaches, athletes themselves or families uncomfortable, they should seek medical attention. And I always encourage people to try and seek out people that regularly treat concussions. So clinicians that are well-versed in the overall injury itself, all the way from diagnosis, treatment and then return to play.

Host:  All right, really good points. So, let’s talk about heat-related injuries too. We love our football around here but unfortunately, really hot so, players are starting practice in the hot summer sun and can quickly overheat. Talk about heat-related injuries. That’s something that I think we kind of overlook a little bit but really important to understand. Is that right?

Jeff:  Yes sir. Climatization is a big deal. So, when we first get started in the early weeks and days of practice, when it can be exceptionally hot, here in Texas it feels like it stays hot forever. But something that you need to definitely be aware of. One of the most preventable injuries in all of sports is heat-related injuries and they can be significant. Something that should not be taken lightly by any means and that’s why you see some regulations specific to how we go about the early weeks of practice. But definitely something that families again, coaches specifically and athletes themselves need to be aware of. Again, that open honest communication is really important to be able to talk with athletes and to be able to look at their overall performance throughout the weeks and days, all those cumulative incidences make a difference.

Host:  All right you’ve done a great job of laying out the whole landscape of football related injuries. So let’s talk about prevention now. Can you share some strategies to help prevent football injuries?

Jeff:  Sure. The biggest target, biggest take home for everyone should be that we are constantly in a battle with fatigue. Whether that is mental fatigue or physical fatigue; both are very important strategies to prevent that. We are looking at overall exposure. So, being prepared for the next bout or the next exposure; the next game, the next practice. So, being an active participant in your overall recovery so that you are prepared for that next challenge. I think it’s probably the biggest take home for people. If you look at really successful athletes, the ones that are on that elite level; that’s where they make the biggest difference is in their preparation.

Host:  So, you just mentioned being ready for the next game, being ready for the next practice. Can you share with us some recovery strategies then?

Jeff:  Absolutely. So, things that we look at specifically, sleep, sleep patterns, are you getting enough sleep; that’s really where your body repairs the most. How are you eating? Are you eating enough? Are you eating the correct amount? So we talk about eating the rainbow and that you are eating a different variety of fruits and vegetables, proteins and carbs and then being able to watch your hydration again, going back to that heat-related issues. Are you replacing what you’ve lost from a sweat content standpoint? Other things like cold baths. We have a number of different modalities here that we use and that might not be something that everyone is going to have at their corner store but are very valuable that can aid in the overall recovery process. But again, being an active participant in your own recovery is a huge win for people.

Host:  Yeah, that’s a really good point. You are in charge of you. So, take care of yourself, be an active participant in your recovery. Jeff, thank you so much. It’s been very interesting talking with you today.

Jeff:  Absolutely. Pleasure.

Host:  That’s Jeff and thanks for listening to childrens health Checkup. From orthopedics and fracture care to rehabilitation and training, The Children's Health Andrews Institute for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine offers a full continuum of care for athletes and aims to reduce the number of children being sidelined from injury. To learn more please go to www.childrens.com/andrews, If you found this podcast helpful, please support us by sharing the episode on your social channels, leaving us a good rating and following Children's Health on social media. This is Children’s Health Checkup. Thanks for listening.