By Dr. Don Kirkendall To say that our understanding of sport-related concussive injury continues to evolve is an understatement. The number of research articles has exploded. A mere 176 papers were published in 2000. In 2016, a total of 1310 papers on ‘concussion OR mild traumatic brain injury’ were published – a nearly 650% increase […]
Sports Medicine
The High Ankle Sprain
The High Ankle Sprain. Most players view an ankle sprain as a nuisance — a few days off then back to play. I always say that a traditional ankle sprain needs to be treated with greater respect by players, as the consequences of returning to play too early can be considerable. Most ankle sprains that […]
Using All That Oxygen
Using All That Oxygen. Last month, I introduced the topic of oxygen delivery. This month, I’ll talk about how this oxygen is used once it gets to the muscle. How We Use Oxygen Once oxygen is delivered to the muscles, the muscles need to make use of the delivered oxygen. Oxygen moves from one place […]
Where Do We Get All That Energy
Where Do We Get All That Energy. Most coaches don’t understand or chose not to understand where energy come for physical labor. And that is science, specifically biochemistry. Exercise physiology is essentially two concepts: the DELIVERY of oxygen to the working muscles and the USE the delivered oxygen (I’ve just summarized eight years of college). […]
Injury Prevention
Injury Prevention. Regular readers of this column know that probably the best way to prevent injuries is simply to improve the level of fitness of the team. I’ve written about reasons why and how to improve endurance, speed, flexibility, proper methods of warm-up and strength training. I discussed ankle and head injuries, head and muscle […]
FIFA Fair Play
FIFA Fair Play. Before every international match under the auspices of FIFA, you see the teams enter the field, sometimes escorted by children and led to the center of the field before kickoff. Behind the players there will be a large yellow flag with the insignia of the FIFA Fair Play for all to see. […]
Research You Can Use – Further refinements in sport drinks
Research You Can Use – Further refinements in sport drinks. When new sports science information is published that might be pertinent to the game, I like to alert the coaches because new data typically is published in a place that is advantageous to the author (promotion and tenure considerations), but not in a place where […]
You Need Water
You Need Water. The national news shows are reporting the drought across the desert southwest is the worst on record. Lake Powell water levels are down an astonishing 115 feet. Hollywood is remaking the classic football movie The Longest Yard (why I wonder, but I digress) …at a New Mexico detention center, the producers want […]