"Long Term Cost of Quick Fixes"

Earlier this week, I attended the Seattle Pediatric Sports Medicine quarterly symposium entitled "Long Term Costs of Quick Fixes." I've previously written about that group with regard to their ACL Injury Prevention program here and here. This symposium was a panel of 4 elite athletes discussing their careers and injuries and some of their interactions with healthcare providers.  It made me think of all the sports movies, like Varsity Blues, with scenes of an injured athlete with a needle about to enter their body to get them back on the field right away. For me, the highlight was seeing Seattle Storm co-owner and Rowing Olympian Ginny Gilder! It's always fun attending networking and educational events and learning of the connections between people you know and the people you meet.

Ginny Gilder, Kerry Carter, Seth Orza, and Peter Shmock

Here's a little bit about each of the elite athletes who were included along with some insight to injuries they sustained and some quotes they said which stood out to me.

1) Ginny Gilder -  An Olympic Silver Medalist in Rowing in the 1984 Summer Olympics and also qualified for the 1980 games that were boycotted.  She attended Yale University, has launched multiple companies, all civic-minding and many empowering young women.  She is currently one of the owners of the Seattle Storm - so I was super excited to run into her, and she wrote a book called Course Correction: A Story of Rowing and Resilience in the Wake of Title IX reviewed as "Wild meets Boys in the Boat, a memoir about the quest for Olympic gold and the triumph of love over fear."  Guess what's now on the top of my reading list for 2019!?!

Injuries: Ginny told about her experience breaking a rib and having a cortisone injection to the intercostals to calm things down and being told by the physician to take some time off from rowing, only to be on the Charles River in Boston on a beautiful sunny day and knowing she just had to be on the water, getting into her boat for a casual row, and ultimately feeling a pop in her ribs that she knew was because of not listening to the advice she had been given.   She also commented on back pain that has been chronic and requires continued care today.  The common theme throughout the presentation was that at the elite level, athletes do whatever it takes to compete, sometimes ignoring advice for the long term.

Quotes:
- "Young athletes depend on competent adults to make decisions for them.  As a parent, you may not know how to deal with your kids injuries.  Parents just don't have the knowledge/experience to make all these decisions."
- "Ask parents why they encourage their kids to do sports?  What role sport is playing in setting up their child for success."

The controversial Goldman's Dilemma was also referred to, though not by name.  This was a study done in the 1970's where athletes were asked if they had the option to take a drug that would promise them the highest level of success, would they take it even if they knew it would kill them in five years.  It was a component of the anti-doping legislation that would later come out because at that time, the surveyed athletes would frequently respond that they would take the drug for the success.  Later editions of the study found different results, but some of the commentary focuses on the differences of how an elite level athlete thinks and operates compared to the general population.

2) Kerry Carter - played fullback for the Seattle Seahawks in 2003-2004 and the Washington Redskins in 2006 as well as in the Canadian football league. (I didn't actually know that Canada had a professional football league!)  He currently works as the Vice President for Football Operations for a company called Atavus Rugby and Football - whose CEO is Karen Bryant, former President/CEO for the Seattle Storm.  Kerry's responsibilities at Atavus include teaching football coaches how to teach football players proper tackling and they use scientific metrics to try to prevent injuries.  When asked about the other sports he played, he said volleyball - which is a rare combination for a football player.

Injuries: Kerry described an ACL tear, a shoulder labrum tear, a shoulder AC joint injury, and others that were not as severe, but that he went through multiple surgeries and worked hard each time to get back to the field.  He also discussed some of his lingering aches from those past injuries, and could describe some of the tactics his teammates used including one who had a pharmacy in his locker and would pop tons of pills daily to be able to tolerate the rigors of football.

Quote: "The thing I wish I knew when I was hurt was if there were other options available.  But to be honest, I may not have chosen any alternative that would have taken me longer to get back on the field."

3) Seth Orza - a principal ballerina for Pacific Northwest Ballet and a 20-year professional dancer.  Seth discussed that he also runs and conditions and lifts weights in addition to a 90 minute daily warm-up routine with the dance company and about six hours of rehearsals per day.

Injury: Multiple episodes of back pain.  He said "my back exploded at age 14" and he actually didn't receive healthcare for it, though he's not entirely sure why.  He spent some time in bed and then was able to return.  Since that time he has had additional back injuries and multiple PRP treatments to his knees, and he gave considerable credit to his PT, (my former coworker) Boyd Bender.

Quote:When discussing elite level sport or performing arts: "You're going to get injured, but it's a matter of how you deal with it, who you trust and surround yourself with, and whose advice you take to get through it."

What struck me with Seth's input was the words he used to describe his back injury - because this has come up in presentations that focus on the biopsychosocial model and how much impact words have.  Seth is in his mid 30's and the imagery of his back exploding at age 14 has been reinforced into him for 20 years... but maybe it doesn't impact him!

4) Peter Shmock - An Olympian Shot-Putter who competed in the 1976 games and also qualified for the boycotted 1980 games and now works in Seattle as a high performance coach.  In the late 1990's, he was the weight training coach for the Seattle Mariners and Pacific Northwest Ballet and has trained a long list of elite-level athletes.

Injuries:  Peter was the only one of the group who reported that he hadn't had any major injuries because of the innovation of legendary track and field coach at the University of Oregon and for the USA team, Bill Bowerman, who believed in recovery and a more holistic approach.  If his body didn't feel right, his training or competing was modified and he felt this was essential to his performance.

Quotes:
- In consideration for those he trains - "What is enough for you today?"
- In consideration for athletes who tell him they think they need to just keep doing more, rather than modify their training - "Do you want to do mindless work? Or do you want to improve?"
- "Train or rehab with intent and at a sustainable rate."
- "Be an advocate for the kid you're working with.  The problem with parents/coaches is that they often don't know how to advocate.  They only know go hard or go home."

As a healthcare provider for children and young athletes as well as for elite athletes, I took many important pieces from this presentation and had a great time.  Looking forward to seeing what the group puts together in 2019!