Guest: Dr. C. David Geier Jr.
β Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
Host: Dr. Linda Austin
β Psychiatrist
Announcer:
Welcome to an MUSC Health Podcast.
Dr. Linda Austin:
This is Dr. Linda Austin. I am talking with Dr. David Geier, Assistant Professor of Orthopedics and Director of the MUSC Sports Medicine Clinic. Dr. Geier, what are some of the preventable causes of sports injury that you treat?
Dr. C. David Geier Jr.:
I think the main preventable cause is there was one you are working at would be doing too much. I think these growing young male and female athletes being asked to play sports year around everyday, everyday the weekend, especially playing the same sport everyday and for seasons and years on and certainly puts their growing knees and shoulders and elbows at risk for overuse injuries.
Dr. Linda Austin:
Could you list some of the common examples of overuse injuries that you see?
Dr. C. David Geier Jr.:
I think it
βs not uncommon at all to see overuse injuries of the shoulder and elbow especially in your overhead athletes like baseball pitchers, young tennis players, or that type of thing where they are constantly doing an overhead motion, they get overuse injuries of albeit either stress fractures or injuries to the growth plate or to the muscles and ligaments of the shoulder and the elbow. Certainly in a sport such as gymnastics or cheerleading where there is a lot of weightbearing on the hands and upper extremities, you can have overuse injuries to the elbows and the wrists. And then in your runners and athletes such as football and soccer and baseball where there is a lot of running as well, certainly overuse injuries to the knees and legs and feet as well with heel pain and things like that.
Dr. Linda Austin:
What are some of the warning symptoms?
Dr. C. David Geier Jr.:
I think initially, it can just be some soreness or even sharp pains while they are running or throwing or whatever the activity is. Initially, the child may try some rest or ice and most of that will go away with a day or so of rest, but then it gets worrisome when it starts lasting longer, it takes longer periods of rest to get better, or it comes on with less and less activity, less and less stress to the body, or it starts happening with nonathletic activities, they start having pain just sitting in class at school, the pain that wakes them up at night certainly as you get to that point, start worrying more and more about their injury.
Dr. Linda Austin:
Dr. Geier, thank you very much.
Dr. C. David Geier Jr.:
Thank you.
Announcer:
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