Dr. John O’Kane (L), soccer-playing daughter Katie (C), and wife Betsy (R), on grass….in Phoenix AZ
We hope you enjoy the conversation with Dr. O’Kane as much as we did. We gained insight into the findings presented in the paper and had a fruitful discussion on some of the nuances of the endless debate: turf vs. grass, which is the preferred surface on which to play soccer? Along the way we chatted about the recent controversies in the 2016 Women’s Soccer World Cup, as well as the impact on pubertal development as an intrinsic risk factor for injury in sport….and more!
Listen in — you can find the podcast on iTunes or on our home page. As ever, let us know what you think — in the comment section below, or on Twitter @cjsmonline
One of the aspects of CJSM that I love is our ‘published on line first’ function, whereby the articles which have gone through peer review and subsequent post-review author corrections are disseminated ‘on line’ before they can make it into the paper version of the journal. It’s our version of ‘breaking news.’
The news that broke yesterday will be music to long-distance runners’ ears: say good-bye to blisters.
I must confess, the news of the Pre-TAPED trial was picked up so quickly by media outlets that I first heard about it on National Public Radio (NPR). As an editor of CJSM, I normally have the ‘inside scoop,’ but this study generated so much immediate interest that NPR and others scooped me, including media outlets in the UK such as The Times of London. These folks are already singing the praises of the ‘unlikely hero’ of this story: inexpensive, surgical paper tape which can be found over the counter at any pharmacy and roughly costs a dollar a roll. Cheap…..and effective.
Lipman and his study team recruited 128 runners participating in the 2014 250-km (155-mile) 6-stage RacingThePlanet ultramarathons in Jordan, Gobi, Madagascar, and Atacama Deserts. The team devised a clever approach to testing their hypothesis that the paper tape would prevent blisters: Read more of this post
Rugby Sports Med panel (L to R): Drs. Kerr, Gerber, Viljoen, Cantu, Akhavan, Mjaanes, Landry
There is an ever-increasing debate on both sides of the Atlantic regarding contact and collision sports for youth. In particular, the issue of tackling (whether in rugby or American football) is in the cross-hairs of many. I’ve written about this recently after Dr. Bennet Omalu, the subject of the movie ‘Concussion’ and the pathologist who first described CTE in an American professional football player, wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times arguing that contact football should be banned in those under age 18 [‘Don’t Let Kids Play Football’].
My impetus for this blog post is two-fold: 1) I am currently attending a rugby sports medicine conference, where the issue of tackling and brain injury is a ‘hot topic’ for discussion; 2) the issue of tackling in youth rugby has exploded after recent events in the UK.
USA Rugby sports medicine hosts a conference each year around this time, and this year there was a panel of experts who entertained the question: when should youth athletes take up contact/collision sports? There was a variance of opinion and a recognition that more research needs to be done to give an informed answer to this question.
In the background, occurring in the ‘real world,’ this same question was being debated in the media and social media after a group approached the UK government asking for a ban on tackling in youth rugby. The Sport Collision Injury Collective (@sportcic on Twitter) circulated a petition signed by 70 academics asking that touch rugby only be taught to schoolboys in the UK [“Our message is simple: Prevent injury, remove contact. Replace contact with touch in school rugby.”]
This is an important and healthy debate, one where I find most if not all stakeholders have the health and welfare of our youth foremost in mind as we try to gather more information and make decisions now, the ramifications of which may not be seen for years to come.
And so, I thought I would use this blog as one more platform where concerned folks could weigh in on their opinion of this question. Take the poll below,* ** follow the links above, and engage in the discussion which is taking place in the media.
*There have been many ages proposed for initiation of contact in youth sports, ranging from age 10 to 18. For the purposes of the poll, I have tried to give a variety of options, though I recognize the choices are not exhaustive.
**I have intentionally given poll takers the option for a limited number of answers, recognizing that there is room for many more (e.g. ‘we need more information’, ‘yes, allow contact, but we need to reduce the amount kids get’, ‘football and rugby are different, and my answers would be different for each sport’ etc.)
Brooke has become a valued colleague, and someone I think of immediately when I’m asked what relevance social media has for a sports medicine clinician. I first ‘met’ Brooke on Twitter, and as our relationship has evolved, I now find I work with her on a weekly if not sometimes daily basis, addressing youth sports issues of mutual concern. I am proud that I have become a member of the Board of Directors for the non-profit MomsTEAM Institute, a professional role I have written about in previous blog posts.
1) CJSM: How old is MomsTeam Institute and how did you found it?
BD: I established MomsTEAM Institute in 1999 and we launched our first website and workshops in August of 2000. I began writing the “Survival Guide for Youth Sports Parents” in 1998 when Random House offered to publish my book in three volumes over the subsequent five years because I had “so much information.” Instead, I turned to the limitless container of information – the new and emerging internet which was something much more exciting to me. Later in 2006, I did write a book that Harper Collins published.
In 2000, there was nowhere to find independent, objective well researched and well written information for sports parents, and so I brought together a team of experts in medicine, law, journalism, sports, and coaching who along with me as a writer-researcher, began the long journey of providing the very best information on how to keep student athletes safe: physically, emotionally, psychologically and sexually.
Parents always seemed to turn to me with sports safety questions; my triplet sons called these regulars “Moms Team.” Hence the name. Read more of this post
James MacDonald, M.D., M.P.H. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine (CJSM) Deputy Editor
"The CJSM blog offers the opportunity for clinicians with a primary interest in sports medicine practice to discuss current issues in the world of sport and exercise medicine. The blog acts as a community platform for knowledge sharing; its goals are the promotion and dissemination of best clinical practices for our patients."
Our newest podcast release profiles a study published in our May 2016 CJSM: Shoe and Field Surface Risk Factors for Acute Lower Extremity Injuries Among Female Youth Soccer Players. Our guest on the podcast is the lead author of the study, John O’Kane M.D., the Head Team Physician for the University of Washington and the Bob and Sally Behnke Endowed Professor for the Health of the Student Athlete.
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine Blog 