Magic Johson and AIDS

Here at Michigan State University the name Magic Johnson reigns supreme over all other names that have ever participated in sports for the school. Magic Johnson's name and number 33 hang high in the rafters of The Breslin Center to honor him. Not only is Magic known for his great basketball career, but he is also known for contracting HIV. He contracted the blood borne pathogen while playing for the L.A. Lakers in the NBA. He was defining himself as one of the best basketball players to ever play the game when in 1991 he tested positive for HIV. Not too long after his diagnosis he made a public announcement that he would retire. HIV cost Magic Johnson his playing career and decreased health. This was some information that was covered in my introduction to athletic training class while learning about HIV and AIDS.  Now here is some more in depth information on the topic.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a disease of the human immune system caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). There is a loss of protection against even the simplest infections, which makes someone with AIDS extremely vulnerable to developing a variety of illnesses, infections, and cancers. There is currently no vaccination available and a person can be infected by infectious material such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluid. The greatest risk for contracting HIV is through sexual contact with an infected partner. And the risk of HIV transmission in athletics is minimal. The highest risk sports of HIV transmission are boxing, martial arts, wrestling, and rugby. Furthermore, there is a moderate risk of transmission by playing basketball, hockey, football, and soccer. Finally, the lowest risk of transmission is by playing badminton, baseball, and archery. Even with these claims there is still no definite answer to whether an asymptomatic HIV carrier (someone with no symptoms) should participate in sports. The American with Disability Act of 1991 states that athletes infected with HIV cannot be discriminated against and may be excluded from participation only on a medically sound basis. Neither the NCAA or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend mandatory HIV testing for athletes.

Crazy to think that there could be a possibility of contracting HIV through participating in sports, no matter how minimal. And the risk is there for athletic trainers as well, since they are in constant care and contact with their athletes. I wonder how many asymptomatic athletes are participating in sports today? I wonder if there is any way to actually find that out since athletes with HIV cannot be discriminated against? Overall, HIV and AIDS are things every athlete and athletic trainer should be aware of to best protect themselves and others around them. 

 

Work Cited

Sutliff, Michael A., and Richard Bomgardner. HIV/AIDS--how to Maintain a Safe Environment. 65 Vol. , 1994. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.

 

Infectious Diseases

In my introduction to athletic training class we have begun talking about infectious diseases and blood borne pathogens. Just like many other people I did not know a whole lot on the topic and found it to be very interesting and informative. Maybe that is why I am interested in the field of athletic training...? Anyways an athletic trainer must be aware of and take universal precautions against the spread of infectious disease and blood borne pathogens. Now I will present some of the information I learned in class.

Examples of infectious diseases:
-Aids (Viral infectious disease)
-Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E (Viral infectious disease)
-MRSA infection (Bacterial infectious disease)
-Pinworm infection (Parasitic infectious disease)
-Tinea pedis (Fungal infectious disease)

Infectious Diseases:
-The invasion or infection of a host (person/animal) by a microorganism called pathogens 
-Pathogens - Bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi that cause disease by
1) disrupting a vital body process
2) stimulating the immune system to mount a defensive reaction

Transmission of infectious diseases:
Direct transmission
-Contact between body surfaces: touching, sexual intercourse
-Droplet spread: inhalation of contaminated air droplets from someone who sneezes in close proximity
-Fecal-oral spread: feces on the host's hands are brought into contact with the new host's mouth
Indirect Transmission
-Water, food, towels, clothing, and eating utensils
-By vectors (living things): insects, birds, or animals 
-Airborne transmission: sharing air with infected people


Five Stages of Infection:
1) Incubation - from the time a pathogen enters the body until it multiplies to the point where signs and symptoms of a disease begin to appear
2) Prodromal - a variety of signs and symptoms may develop
3) Acute - the disease reaches its greatest development
               -  the likelihood of transmitting the disease to others is highest
4) Decline - the first signs of recovery appear
5) Recovery - apparent recovery from the invading pathogen
                     - the patient is susceptible to other pathogens

Hope you found this information to be rather interesting. This is a topic that pertains to more than just athletic training. This information can be used to keep you healthy throughout your daily life. And to all the athletes out there who shower after practice and games, make sure to bring your towels home every week to wash. Wouldn't want you to get invaded by an infectious disease!

 

Works Cited

McClaskey, D. "The Relevance of Athletic Training to Public Health." International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training 17.3 (2012): 1-6. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. 

Blood-Borne Pathogens: Guidelines for Athletic Trainers. 30 Vol. , 1995. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.

 

Psychological Intervention

When an athlete suffers an injury people do not always think about the emotional and psychological damage that has been done to the athlete. People tend to only think of the physical damage that has been done. While the physical damage done to a player can seem extreme, sometimes the emotional and psychological damage caused by an injury can almost be worse. This is why it is key for an athletic trainer to be able to use psychological intervention.

Athletic trainers must understand how the psyche, especially feeling and emotions, enter into the individual's reaction to injury or illness. They must keep in mind that each individual reacts in their own personal way. And in order to return to play injured athletes must be completely ready psychologically as well as physically. Following and injury an athlete may have problems adjusting socially and may feel left out or forgotten by the rest of the team. This is seen especially with long-term injuries. The athlete may feel as though they have received little support support from coaches and teammates. To the athlete it may seem the coaches have ceased to care about me and that teammates have no time to be with me. If this is the case with an athlete then athletic identification is gone and so is friendship based on athletic identification.  To avoid or limit this from happening the athletic trainer should have a supporting relationship with the athlete (key to successful rehabilitation). The athletic trainer can provide social support to the athlete by being a good listener, finding out what the problem is, being aware of body language, explaining the injury, managing the stress of the injury, and helping he/she return to competition.

There have been so many great athletes that have suffered injuries and some never totally recover. I never really thought that the reason an athlete did not perform as well as they once did could have been because of psychological damage. An athlete's psyche must be as in tune as possible as well as the body. I hope this brings to light the importance of the psychological aspect in rehabilitation and that more people understand how it affects athletes and their performance.

 

Work Cited

Stiller-Ostrowski, Jennifer, Daniel R. Gould, and Tracey Covassin. "An Evaluation of an Educational Intervention in Psychology of Injury for Athletic Training Students." Journal of Athletic Training 44.5 (2009): 482-9. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.

Noting Cultural Assumptions

My goal for this blog post was to find a portrayal of an athletic trainer in popular culture. I tried to think of some movies that have athletic trainers in them an not many came to mind. In fact there were only two that I could think of. The first of the two movies was Miracle, but I remember that I wrote about that movie earlier in the semester so I did not want to write about that again. Second of the two movies was Youngblood.

In Youngblood there is an athletic trainer of a Canadian junior hockey team. He is kind of a weird, odd older man in his late 50s who is not afraid to say what he thinks. Sometimes the things that come out of his mouth make the players he takes care of uncomfortable. There is one scene where Dean Youngblood, the main character and young star hockey player, gets injured and their is a cut above one of his eyes. The athletic trainer takes him to the locker room during intermission and literally sews the cut up. He makes a few comments while sewing up the cut that make Dean uncomfortable and it almost seems as though he is not the best athletic trainer in the world.

I think for some people this how they view athletic trainers; old, odd, and not so good at their job.
And from watching a movie such as Youngblood I can see why they would think this. Although I feel that the majority of people do not view athletic trainers this way. For the most part I think that majority of people view athletic trainers as a kind of "knock off" doctor who is on site to give you immediate medical care. This not an accurate description of an athletic trainer, but it does not take away from the profession. And to go along with this I would be willing to bet that most people view athletic trainers as people who love sports. Overall, I believe that athletic training and its trainers are not understood as well as they should be and until recent years not appreciated enough.

Work Cited

 Youngblood. Dir. Peter Markle. Perf. Rob Lowe, Cynthia Gibb, Patrick Swayze. Guber - Peters

           Company, 1986. DVD.



  

Kevin Ware Injury

Like most people, last weekend I was watching the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament pulling for my teams to win to further better my bracket. My viewing experience was progressing along as it normally does when I saw something so dramatic, and gruesome take place right before my eyes. I am referring to the Kevin Ware injury.

During the Duke vs. Louisville basketball game Kevin Ware ran out to the upper left perimeter in attempt to block a 3 point shot by a Duke player. He missed on the block attempt and as he came down from he jump his right leg inverted underneath his body and it snapped near the middle of the shin. A large part bone was sticking out of the leg with blood gushing out causing a most disturbing and tragic sight to witness. It took place directly in front of the Louisville bench and players immediately took notice running and moving away from the injury. Players on the court hit the floor in disbelief.

The athletic trainer came to the aid of Kevin Ware immediately and one of the very first things he does is cover the injury. This may not seem like such a big deal, but it is. By doing this he prevents Kevin from seeing the severity of the injury and going into more shock and the fans and players from freaking out. This allows the situation to not spiral out of control. With a less hectic environment the athletic trainer is able to perform and execute his duties that much better.

Since the Louisville trainer was alert and prepared to take care of injured athletes, the Kevin Ware injury was not more dramatic than it had to be. The situation was handled well and that was for Kevin Ware's best. Kevin Ware is expected to make a complete recovery and make a return to the court in the future, but not without completing a comprehensive rehabilitation program.

Work Cited

Mensch, Jim. "Free Communications, Oral Presentations: Psychological Aspects of Athletic Training." Journal of Athletic Training 42.2 (2007): S73-4. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. 

Using Therapeutic Exercise in Rehabilitation

The Athletic Trainer's Approach to Rehabilitation
-the process of rehabilitation begins immediately after injury
*initial first aid and management techniques can have a substantial impact on the course of the rehabilitative process

-in the rehabilitation program the athletic trainer is responsible for
*design
*implementation
*supervision

-balancing act
*between not pushing the athlete hard enough and being overly aggressive

-daily reassessment of an injury
*allows the rehabilitation plan to be current and appropriate

Goals
-short-term
*controlling pain
*minimizing initial swelling
*maintaining/improving flexibility
*restoring/increasing strength
*reestablishing neuromuscular control
*maintaining level of cardiorespiratory fitness

-long-term
*return the injured athlete to practice/competition as quickly and safely as possible

Therapeutic and Conditioning Exercise
-Therapeutic exercises are concerned with restoring normal body function after injury
-Conditioning exercises are concerned with improving the physical capability of an athlete by a program

Components of a Rehabilitation Program
-minimize swelling
-controlling pain
-restoring ROM
-restoring muscle strength, endurance, and power
-reestablishing neuromuscular control
-regaining balance
-maintaining cardiovascular fitness
-incorporating functional progressions

 

Work Cited

Schneider, Erin. Athletic Trainers' Perception of interval/intermittent Training in Rehabilitation., 2010. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.

Therapeutic Modalities

For this blog post I have chosen to focus on the topic of therapeutic modalities and how they are used. When used appropriately, therapeutic modalities can be an effective adjunct to therapeutic exercise.
Athletic trainers must know how and when therapeutic modalities may best be used. Here is more in depth information into therapeutic modalities.

Three Classifications:
1) Electromagnetic- energy travels at 300 million meters/sec in vacuum.
-cryotherapy
-thermotherapy
-electrical stimulating currents
-diathermy and lasers

2) Acoustic- relies on molecular collisions for energy transfer
-ultrasound

3) Mechanical- mechanical strength, compress, and manipulation
-message
-traction
-intermittent compression

Now, I will examine cryotherapy and thermotherapy a bit closer.
 Cryotherapy:
-application of cold
-an important part of the RICE treatment for first aid (rest, ice, compression, elevation)
-slowing injured cell's metabolism- less damage to the tissues which has decreased oxygen supply
-the longer the cold exposure, the deeper the cooling
-skin's response to cold
      stage 1-  cold sensation- 0-3 minutes after initiation
      stage 2- mild burning aching- 2-7 minutes after initiation
      stage 3- relative cutaneous anesthesia- 5-12 minutes after initiation
Thermotherapy:
-heat has the capacity to increase the extensibility of collagen tissue
-muscle spasm caused by ischemia (lack of blood supply) can be relieved by heat
-transformed through
*conduction
*convection
*radiation
*conversion
-from another energy form such as US, electricity, and chemical agents

Physiological response to Cryo/Thermotherapy
-metabolic rate- decrease, increase
-Edema-controversial, increase
-collagen elasticity-decrease, increase
-blood flow- decrease up to 10 minutes, increase
-capillary permeability-increase, increase
-pain perception- decrease, decrease

There is a more in depth look at therapeutic modalities and more specifically cryotherapy and thermotherpy. I hope you found this post to be helpful in allowing you to further your knowledge in the field of athletic training. These are two very effective types of therapy.

 

Work Cited

Knight, Kenneth L., and David O. Draper. "Critical Thinking and Therapeutic Modalities." Athletic Therapy Today 9.6 (2004): 28-9. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.