Terry Streetman (Host): Welcome back to Well Within Reach. I'm Terry Streetman, Riverside Marketing and Communications Representative. We're here today with Dr. Jason Shin from Riverside Orthopedic Specialists to discuss sports medicine and preparing for the spring sports season. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Shin.

Jason Shin, MD: Thank you.

Host: So before we get into our questions, we will take a quick break for a message about MyChart.

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Jason Shin, MD: Okay, welcome back to the podcast. Dr. Shin, this is your second time here with us, but could you remind us about your background and your role here at Riverside?

Absolutely. Thanks for having me again. I'm a Sports Medicine, Fellowship Trained, Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, which means that I have completed an additional training in orthopedic sports medicine, and this has given me specialized knowledge in treating active individuals.

Jason Shin, MD: So I currently practice at Riverside where I focus on diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries. So my role here involves not just providing surgical care, but also working closely with our patients to help them recover and return to their activities as safely and quickly as possible. So I'm passionate about improving patients' quality of life, and it's been rewarding to be part of a collaborative team here at Riverside.

Host: Awesome. Well, you kind of touched on here some of what we're going to address. We're here to talk about sports medicine, but also athletes preparing for an upcoming sports season. So can you talk about some of that advice that you might give to athletes who are preparing to start the upcoming season?

Jason Shin, MD: Yeah, so as we're approaching the spring sports season, it's crucial for patients and athletes to take a well rounded approach to prepare. First and foremost, start by gradually increasing your activity level, which means don't jump straight into intense training. It's very important to build up your endurance, strength, and flexibility over time to avoid injury. Focus on sport specific drills that mimic the movements you'll be doing during games or during matches. Additionally, in addition to physical preparation, never underestimate the importance of rest and recovery.

So, that means adequate sleep, hydration, and nutrition are key components in keeping your body in optimal tip top condition. I also recommend incorporating a dynamic warm up routine before practice or games to prepare your muscles and joints for the demands of the sport. And lastly, listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right, don't push through the pain. Early attention to potential issues can prevent more serious injuries down the line.

Host: Yeah, I know that listening to your body and that rest and recovery can be tough for a lot of these really driven athletes. So that's really good to remind folks. Obviously all of this is to help us sort of avoid injuries and overuse and that kind of thing. What are some of the most common injuries that you see during the season? 

Jason Shin, MD: During the spring sports season, I tend to see a lot of overuse injuries and sprains, especially as athletes ramp up their activity levels. Some of the more common injuries I treat include ankle sprains. So these are exceedingly common, especially in sports like soccer, track, and baseball, where quick changes in direction and jumping are frequent. And knee injuries, I often see ligament strains or tears, particularly the ACL or anterior cruciate ligament, due to sudden pivots or impact during sports like football. 

Muscle strains, hamstrings and quadriceps are especially prone to such injuries, particularly in running based sports or in athletes who may have skipped adequate stretching. Or strength training. Then of course throughout the year we see tendonitis, overuse, which can lead to inflammation of tendons, often seen in shoulder for baseball pitchers and any throwers or tennis players or pickleball players or in the knee and elbow and athletes that partake in throwing or racket sports.

Host: Okay. So I know you talked about trying to keep an eye, listen to your body. What are some of the common signs of injury? The early signs that athletes should watch out for to be aware if they're headed for that kind of injury?

Jason Shin, MD: It's important to note that, many of these injuries can be avoided or minimized with proper training, warm up routines and paying attention to any signs of just fatigue or even discomfort early on. 

Host: And you touched on this a little bit, in an earlier question, but how are some ways that athletes can approach preseason conditioning and, without overdoing it or risking injury, that kind of overuse, like you mentioned?  

Jason Shin, MD: Yeah, so just to emphasize preseason conditioning is key to getting ready for the season, but it's really important to approach it gradually to avoid overtraining or injury. So start slow and focus on building a solid foundation with general strength and conditioning rather than jumping straight into sports specific drills. So first, make sure to include a variety of exercises that target all muscle groups, and this will help with balance and prevent overuse injuries.

Strength training is critical, especially for stabilizing muscles around the key joints like knees, ankles, and shoulders, but it's equally important to integrate flexibility and mobility work to keep your muscles and joints healthy. Gradually increase the intensity and duration of your training to avoid pushing your body too hard and too fast.

One good rule of thumb is to follow the 10 percent rule. Increase your training load, which means distance, reps, etc. by really no more than 10 percent per week. So, finally, take recovery seriously. So, as I've mentioned already, intentional rest, proper hydration, stretching, and especially adequate sleep should all be part of your conditioning routine. 

Host: Awesome. Well, those are definitely, like I said, great reminders, because we're trying to do is avoid these injuries, but let's say somebody has had an injury. Do you have advice for athletes who are returning from an injury or even returning from surgery after an injury?

Jason Shin, MD: Yeah, so you'll see a similar theme here. But for athletes returning from an offseason injury or surgery, most important thing is to ease back into full activity gradually and safely. So you want to give your body time to rebuild strength and confidence mentally as well in injured area before jumping back into intense competition. So start with progressive rehab program.

Work closely with your athletic therapist or athletic trainer to follow a structured recovery plan that really focuses on restoring range of motion, strength and stability. This will help rebuild muscles and tissues around the injured area so that they're better prepared to handle demands of your sport. 

Next, once you've really reached the baseline level of function, incorporate sport specific drills at a lower intensity. And this allows your body to just readapt again to the movements and demands of your sport without overloading the injured area. Pay attention to especially form and technique.

Sometimes compensating for these things can lead to injury and to new problems. Also, one needs to be patient and listen to the body. It's tempting to just push hard to get back to full speed, but pushing too quickly can really set an individual backwards. If you're experiencing pain or discomfort, it's important to scale back and give yourself more time to just heal. 

For example, research shows that for every month that an athlete delays returning to sports after ACL surgery, the risk of re-rupturing the ACL significantly decreases with a lot of studies showing a reduction of up to 51 percent in re-injury rates when delaying return to sports up to nine months post surgery.

Lastly, focus on injury prevention by continuing to work on overall strength, flexibility, and conditioning. Even after recovery, maintaining a really solid foundation of fitness can prevent further and future injuries. 

Host: Well, it sounds like, yeah, a lot of common threads there in terms of listen to your body, take it slow, don't overdo it, which I know can be a challenge. Before we get to our next question, we're going to take a moment to talk about the importance of primary care.

Consistency is being able to count on someone to be there when you need them. At Riverside Healthcare, your primary care provider is dedicated to being in your corner, helping you and your family stay healthy and thrive. Find the right primary care provider for you at myrhc.net/acceptingnew. From annual screenings to well checks and everything in between, having a primary care provider that you can trust makes all the difference.  

Okay, so we're back and we're going to touch a little bit on something you were just talking about when you mentioned, working with your athletic trainer and rehabilitation and that kind of thing. Having that multidisciplinary care team means a lot for a lot of patients. How do our sports medicine, orthopedics, podiatry, PT, all of our providers sort of work together? 

Jason Shin, MD: Absolutely. So one of the things that I really appreciate about working at Riverside here is the collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Our sports medicine and orthopedic team works really closely to diagnose and treat MSK injuries, whether that requires surgery or non-surgical management. As mentioned, our athletic trainers at schools and sporting events keep a close eye on student athletes, and they're really excellent at managing acute injuries, triaging patients appropriately, and guiding them through recovery as well. 

Meanwhile, our physical and occupational therapy team plays a really critical and important role in the recovery process, guiding them through rehab exercises and helping them regain mobility and strength. They work really hand in hand with us, ensuring that recovery is progressing and helping us adjust treatment plans when needed.

So there's really back and forth communication throughout this entire process. And if there's a complex injury, we might walk over to our podiatry specialist to address any foot and ankle issues that may need to be addressed as well, while we can just walk down the hallway to our neurosurgeons with back and spine issues.

The real advantage of this collaboration is that it creates a really more holistic approach to care. Whether it's coordinating on a treatment plan for someone recovering from surgery or getting an athlete back on the field safely. So the combined knowledge of the different fields and specialists really help us address all aspects of patient's recovery.

And it's incredibly effective and ensures that our patients are supported throughout their journey from diagnosis to recovery. 

Host: Having dealt with injuries in the past, I know that tends to make me feel a little bit more confident and a little more comfortable with the treatment. So I think that's a great thing for our community. You've talked about a couple different things related to practice, whether it's the surgery, whether it's the helping people recover from injuries. What would you say is the most fulfilling part for you of your sports medicine practice? 

Jason Shin, MD: That's a tough question, but I'd really say the most fulfilling part of sports medicine practice is seeing just the progress and recovery of my patients, especially when they're able to return to doing what they love, whether it's an athlete getting back on the field after an injury or someone simply regaining ability to enjoy everyday, day to day activities without pain. Being part of that journey is incredibly rewarding.

Host: Awesome. Well, I'm sure your patients appreciate that. Is there anything like any emerging trends or innovations in sports medicine that are exciting to you right now? 

Jason Shin, MD: Yeah, so there's several exciting trends and innovations in sports medicine that we're really enthusiastic about. One of the most promising areas is regenerative medicine, particularly treatments such as platelet rich plasma, or PRP, and bone marrow aspirate concentration, or BMAC. 

These treatments have shown potential in helping with tendon, ligament, cartilage injuries by using the body's own healing abilities to really, boost and accelerate recovery and potentially avoid surgery. And while these treatment modalities are not always yet covered by most insurance plans; as the field of Regenerative Medicine continues to just further evolve and more studies demonstrate their effectiveness, it's likely that insurance companies will eventually provide coverage.

And I believe that these therapies will give us new tools to manage non-operatively, overuse injuries as well as to improve healing times after surgery as well.  

Host: Well, we'll look forward to seeing those things come along and help more patients as we move forward. We're getting toward the end here. I know we've touched on a lot of things. There have been a lot of common threads throughout. What would you say should be the biggest takeaway for our listeners from this episode? 

Jason Shin, MD: So the biggest takeaway I'd like listeners to have from this episode is really the importance of prevention and early intervention. Whether you're an athlete or someone who enjoys staying active, it's important to focus on preparing your body properly before the season starts and recognizing early signs of injury before they become a bigger real issue. Taking care of your body through proper conditioning, rest, and recovery is crucial.

Also, don't underestimate the power of a multidisciplinary approach. Working with the right specialist, whether it's an orthopedic surgeon, therapists, and other professionals can make a difference in recovery and getting back to your activity safely.

Host: Well. We're pretty much at the end here.

Before we wrap up. Anything else that you'd like to add? 

Jason Shin, MD: Yeah, so if you're ever in doubt or dealing with pain, don't wait too long to seek help. Early intervention can often make a huge difference in preventing long term problems. I'm grateful to be part of a team here at Riverside that's dedicated to helping our patients return to their best selves, and it's always a pleasure to talk about how we can all stay healthy and active.  

Host: Well, it's always a pleasure to have you on the podcast. For members of our audience who are interested in learning more and maybe talking to a provider if they're seeing some of these issues, you can call 815-802-7090 or visit myrhc.net/sportsmedicine.

Thank you for joining us on the podcast today, Dr. Shin. And thank you to our audience for tuning into Well Within Reach presented by Riverside Healthcare. Please take a moment to rate and leave a review for Well Within Reach on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about Riverside, visit riversidehealthcare.org.