Health Watch: Preventing fall sports injuries in student-athletes

RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – As summer winds down, training camps for athletes around Vermont are in full swing. But after an offseason, the ever-prevalent threat of injuries grows higher. Others are on the comeback trail after time away due to injury.

“At the start it was hard, surgery was a pain, a pain in my butt because stiffing out your knee is not so fun, it’s not easy, there’s always pain,” said Jayden Graham, a running back and rising senior at Rutland High School.

Graham said he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament last season during the middle of a game. After a year of intense physical therapy, he says he’s better than ever and bursting to get out on the field.

“I made a lot of progress, I’m more athletic, stronger than I was before but there’s a lot more room for improvement,” Graham said. “Coach Norman and my mom really just pushed me, kept making me go, go to PT even though I didn’t want to.”

“A lot of these kids are going to come in; they’re not used to the running around so much,” said Dr. Matthew Gammons, a physician at the Vermont Orthopaedic Clinic.

Doctors watching over high schoolers’ health say there are many injuries that can be prevented by taking the right steps to protect your body both on and off the field.

“What happens in practice happens in practice or in games sometimes, but making sure that they’re eating well, you know they’re getting enough hydration and getting enough sleep and rest at home, hopefully, they’ve prepared coming in,” Gammons said.

Gammons works with the Vermont Orthopaedic Clinic at the Rutland Regional Medical Center, specializing in concussions. He says making sure athletes listen to their bodies can keep them safe while on a field or court this fall.

“Anything that they feel is abnormal, we want them to alert the athletics trainer. Doesn’t mean they’ve had a concussion and many times they haven’t had one, but it’s good to get them off to the sideline and check them out to make sure they’re OK to keep going,” Gammons said.

“You want to develop a good pre-practice, pre-game routine to help get you mobile, to help get you stretched out, to give you a chance to be successful,” said Matt Howland, one of the athletic trainers at Rutland High School.

Howland says the tough workload of preseason can create a lot of pressure on athletes both mentally and physically.

“Trying to whip an athlete into shape over the course of a week just leads to more stress and more load on a body, and coaches have to understand that in order to get their athletes there, they have to be respectful of it,” Howland said.

According to doctors, the Vermont Principals’ Association that governs athletics has done a good job creating guidelines for coaches to keep their players safe, but it’s important for athletes to maintain their conditioning in the off-season, as well.

With some time still left before school, seniors say staying fit for the upcoming season matters so they can enjoy their final year on the field.

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