Last night, the Phillies confirmed what most fans have suspected all week—Chase Utley is indeed heading to the 15-day DL with a mild oblique strain.

The organization quickly stated that the expect the second baseman back after those 15 days—yet on this morning’s television broadcasts, reports indicated Utley could be out for “up to four weeks.”

Research in the January 2012 edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine looked at Major League Baseball players with oblique strains from 1991-2010. The research, led by Los Angeles Dodgers director of medical services guru Stan Conte, PT, DPT, ATC did not differentiate between first-degree, or mild strains (which Utley has) and second/third-degree strains. It did, however, provide some specific based on player positions and other variables.

• The average time missed for players with oblique strains from 1991-2010 was 30 days.
• Position players (non-pitchers) missed an average of 26 days during this time
• Among position players, switch-hitters tended to miss longer than 26 days on average.

It is said it often takes a village to raise a child. Quite often, it seems like it takes several members of that village to treat a pediatric or adolescent athlete with a concussion. 

As the scholastic year winds down, I would like to discuss the members of the healthcare team who treat concussion and give some idea what the roles of these clinicians may be, so next year parents may have some idea what to expect if their child is treated for a concussion. This list is by no means complete but will discuss several of the primary players.

The Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) is often the first responder to a concussion in the sports setting. These practitioners are responsible for the care and treatment of athletes on their team or at the venue in which they are the covering ATC. In the event of a significant concussive event, athletes are often transported to the Emergency Room where an ER physician and his/her team will care for the athlete.  Often, this team has a radiologist as a member who will read the CT or MRI of the brain performed in the ER setting.

In an effort to keep even the weariest of travelers refreshed and renewed, Philly’s new Hotel Monaco partnered with local fitness favorite Lithe Method to launch an exclusive “Lithe on Location” weekly fitness class. Every Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. you can get your workout on with Lithe instructors in the fresh air on Hotel Monaco’s Stratus Rooftop Lounge (weather permitting, of course!).
 
And that’s exactly what I did this Wednesday when I woke up extra early and followed along as Lithe instructor Tiffany Nork led five of us Lithe newbies in a custom-made CCS fitness regimen — that’s Lithe-talk for Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting. CCS is an awesome blend of muscle-shaking cardiovascular, cheerleading-inspired aerobic, and strength training exercises.
 
If you’re not familiar with Lithe, Lauren Boggi’s workout is widely known for its signature higher power resistance bands that are suspended from the ceiling. Now since this is the first “on location” class Lithe has offered, it’s a twist on the total-body workout using primarily your own body weight and a few innovative props.
 
“I really have to take into consideration that most people have never taken Lithe before. So we may not do as many reps or as many sequences — it’s just about modifying a lot of the moves,” said Nork (who, by the way, is eight months pregnant and breezing though this workout).
 
Keeping this in mind, Nork opens every class with a quick lesson on Lithe’s principles: deep breathing, which helps you to incorporate your abs with every move you do, and three spinal positions to help you keep perfect form.
 
While the CCS regimen features a myriad of different sequences and exercises, Nork lead us through a circuit of high knees, a jog, a high V-low V with a calf pump, a twist, a single jack, a double jack, three jacks with a plyo, the step together touch, the scoop, the clam digger and ended it with the wave to the crowd move that really unleashed my inner cheerleader. Tired yet? Because I was! And that was only a 10-minute sequence.
 
The rest of our hour workout targeted our arms, core and legs using hand weights (that made 3 lbs. feel a lot harder than it looks), resistance bands to get our legs burning, and a small exercise ball to ensure we were engaging abdominal muscles I didn’t even know I had!
 
This class is only available to Hotel Monaco guests, local Kimpton Inner Circle and InTouch members, but you can always join one of 25 daily Lithe classes held at four different studios in Rittenhouse, Old City, Northern Liberties, and on the Main Line in Haverford.

Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.

One of the hottest topics at today’s Rothman Institute Impact of Sports conference was player safety—in all sports and at all levels. Speakers from Michael Ciccotti, M.D. to former Eagles Quarterback Ron Jaworski weighed in on this pressing matter.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett was the day’s first speaker, and while Corbett spent most of his time addressing other sports issues that affect Pennsylvania, he did offer Sports Doc a few thoughts on the concussion crisis.

“We’ve recently passed a law in Pennsylvania that requires the schools to do much more [in the area of concussions],” said Governor Corbett. “I think the PIAA will support that.”

While it is hard to tell when watching the pros sink birdies and seemingly impossible putts, they do in fact suffer injuries. Some of them are in pain even during the time that they are playing.

They do have the luxury of the trailer with physical therapists on the lot to help them through their pain. But what you do not see on TV is that when they are off camera, some pros are doing quick exercises taught to them by the physical therapists in order to manage the pain in between holes. 

One of the more common injuries that PGA players suffer is from elbow tendinitis. There is pain felt on the inside or the outside of the elbow. It is a pain that comes on gradually and gets progressively worse and can be felt most often when gripping the club. The pain may also be felt when doing fine motor movements with the fingers such as typing. 

The Rothman Institute hosts The Impact of Sports - a conference that promises to “bring together the brightest minds in sports.” The panel’s goal is to discuss the health, social and economic benefits sports bring to society.

The conference features big names in sports, politics and other areas of society. Among the notable speakers are Gov. Tom Corbett, Ruben Amaro Jr., Howie Roseman, Ron Jaworski and Steve Forbes.

Rob Senior is live at the event.

This Wednesday, the Rothman Institute will host The Impact of Sports, a conference that promises to “bring together the brightest minds in sports.” The panel’s goal is to discuss the health, social and economic benefits sports bring to society.

The conference will begin at 7 a.m. at Lincoln Financial Field. The event is sold out, but Sports Doc will offer updates and coverage from the conference.

After a meet-and-greet and breakfast, the event will begin with an address from Michael Ciccotti, M.D., director of Sports Medicine at Rothman Institute and Sports Doc panelist. Dr. Ciccotti will introduce the day’s first speaker, the Honorable Tom Corbett, Governor of Pennsylvania. Governor Corbett will explore the impact sports have at a state level.

As I’ve recently realized from personal experience, tearing your ACL can be quite painful. Obviously, there is the knee pain, swelling, buckling, and decreased ability to walk that go along with the acute injury. The physical pain, although unpleasant, usually lasts only a couple of weeks. What can be more problematic, however, is the mental and emotional pain that goes along with the injury.

Why did this happen to me? Do I need surgery? Am I going to be able to work again? Will I ever be able to play sports again? If so, when? Am I at risk for this happening again in the future?

These are just a few of the questions that people have for me when I am counseling them about treatment options for their ACL injury. My goal as a physician is to make sure that the patient has a stable and painless knee that allows them to perform activities of daily living. My goal as a sports surgeon is to try and get the athlete back to playing sports as quickly as possible.

As the sun comes out, so do our green thumbs. But gardening isn’t all soil and sunshine. It can be pretty tough on our bodies—particularly our knees and backs— thanks to prolonged kneeling and bending. But don’t put your spade and gloves away just yet. There are plenty of easy moves you can make to prevent injury while tending to your garden.

• If you will be in a kneeling position for a while, show your knees some love. Use knee pads or cushions, and try to kneel on just one knee at a time, placing half of your weight through the opposite foot. This will also provide some counterbalance to the spine. 
• Try to change positions as frequently as possible, especially if you are working in a small area for a period of time. Positions of prolonged bending or repetitive twisting can put a lot of stress on the discs in our spines. Use a small utility stool to sit on if possible. 
• When digging larger areas, try to use your legs as much as possible in a stable squatting position. If you are digging a large area, change the direction that you are facing so that you are not straining the same area for a prolonged period of time. 
• When removing tree roots or old plants, be sure to pull using your leg muscles instead of your back.
• Squat down to pull weeds out of the ground instead of bending from the spine only. This might seem like a little thing, but repetitive motions like this can be tough on our spines.
• Use a wheelbarrow or a cart to transport heavy plants and bags of dirt instead of carrying them.
• Pace yourself and spread gardening tasks over a few days if you are not conditioned for manual labor.
• Take frequent breaks to walk and stretch every 30 minutes.
• Focus on back and thigh stretches:
  • Back extension stretch: Place your hands on your hips in a standing position and lean backwards until you feel a gentle stretch in your low back. Repeat 5 times holding for 10- 15 seconds.
  • Thigh stretch: Hold onto a nearby tree to stabilize yourself. Grab one foot, bend knee and bring heel towards buttocks until you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds 3 times each side.

Enjoy watching your garden grow without pain!

Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.