With the return of touchdown passes, heaps of goals and straight sets, Fieldston’s fall student-athletes are back! Their return brings great triumph but also the risk of injury. Dr. Jordan Metzl, a sports Medicine Physician at HSS, recently went on the Today Show with four Fieldston Students to discuss common fall injuries and prevention strategies.
Football has a high risk of injury, besides the obvious ones coming from tackling during the game (Fieldston has seen about three broken ankles this year alone!), heatstroke and heat illness present a serious issue. “Heat illness comes from the body overheating and in the fall we see this, particularly in padded sports like football,” says Dr. Metzl. “Symptoms to look out for are muscle cramping and feeling out of it.” Metzl emphasized that the minute “you start overheating, hydrate.” As opposed to water or Gatorade, he suggests a unique drink – pickle juice! Pickle juice includes tons of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. Upon hearing this, Fieldston’s football team should immediately fill a cooler to the brim!
Fieldston’s cross-country team earns grudging respect from the rest of the fall athletes for conquering Van-Cortlandt’s hills and Coach Alan’s skills. Unfortunately, there always seems to be a case of shin splints on the team. Shin splints become “more common as people get ready for their fall races,” says Dr. Metzl. Shin splints are an irritation on the inside of the shin, and occur when “runners increase their mileage too quickly or if their feet are rolling or pronating,” Pronating is when an ankle and arch roll or tip inwards slightly, creating some shock absorption as your foot hits the ground after each step. Strategies for shin splint prevention include stretching – before/after runs – and rest. Losing mileage is no problem, Coach Alan will have his runners back in no time.
Ah, Fieldston’s claim to fame – soccer. Every year there seems to be a new soccer player afflicted by a knee injury. But as many people don’t know, knee injuries are 5 times more common for girls than boys. Just ask Ariana Sidman (Form VI), a soccer player who’s suffered numerous knee injuries. Regarding her recovery and prevention, Ariana says, “It’s important to continue exercising all muscle groups (quad, hamstring, glutes, hip flexors, core, etc) so one area doesn’t overcompensate for lack of strength in another location.” Dr. Metzl suggests two exercises for a preventive strengthening program: lunges and a drill called Fifa11+. Fifa 11+ uses 4 cones, set up in a box shape. Players shuffle diagonally and do an open motion with their legs, commonly known as opening the gate.
On the Today Show, almost 3 million people watched Fieldston Students chug pickle juice and learn about injury prevention. The stage was not too big for a little rivalry jabbing, with one of the hosts exclaiming, “Beat Riverdale!” By staying healthy and using Dr. Metzl’s prevention strategies, injury-free Fieldston athletes will undoubtedly stake their claim on the hill.
