Posted: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 12:26 am | Updated: 3:21 pm, Mon Jan 24, 2011.
Welcome to Ask Doc Dossman, a weekly column where you can ask Long Beach’s pre-eminent sports therapist…whatever you want! If you already forgot who Doc is, click here to read our introduction. To visit Doc’s website, click here, and buy his book, What I’ve Learned From Your Kids. Email questions to Doc at askdoc@docdossman.com.
What’s up Strong Beach! I hope you all had a great weekend. I spent the long weekend in New York’s freezing temperatures! I’m so glad to be back home in the Beach! I took some time to reflect on some of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his day. I hope you don’t mind if I end my column today by sharing a few of his quotes that I have found enlightening. I hope you enjoy them. For now, lets answer a few questions!
Hi Doc!
My daughter went down in a soccer game the other day. It was bitter sweet. It was bitter because my child was hurting. Then, I immediately thought that we would now have the opportunity to work with Doc Dossman! She was taken to the emergency room and we later discovered by MRI that she had a full thickness tear of her ACL. She is a freshman on the varsity team and she is torn up and down about missing her first high school season.
I realize that this is a surgical matter and out of your jurisdiction. I just don’t know what to do because her surgery isn’t scheduled for 6 weeks! What can we do for her? This seems like such a long time for her to suffer. Do you have any suggestions for us? Is there anything we can do as we wait for her surgery date?
-Roger N.
Hello Roger,
I am sorry to hear about your daughter’s misfortune. I know that this is difficult since we are at the start of the season. On the bright side, if there is such thing as a “good time” to miss a season, it is be freshman year. She is in the position to come back stronger than ever before, when it counts (junior year).
Another positive point is that if she has a complete tear, there is absolutely no stress or strain on that ACL tendon! The pain she is experiencing right now is due to the inflammatory process and swelling in the knee. This is what you can manage now. Her doctor prefers for this to be minimal before he operates. It can take about six weeks sometimes for this to occur. Here are some tips to help with this process. I am willing to bet that she is already on anti-inflammatory meds, if so, you are already halfway there. Local ice applications and range of motion exercises aid this process as well. There is an acronym called R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate). If you do this, you can set her up for an optimal situation when going in for surgery. I hope this helps!
Hey Doc Dossman,
I have a quick question. I have been going to physical therapy rehab for an ankle sprain. I had to leave town for a spell to attend a funeral and handle some personal family business. They gave me all this STUFF (rubber tubing, rocker board, TENS unit, etc.) so that I can keep up my range of motion exercises. Well, I forgot all the STUFF at home! Do you have any recommendations for me? What can I do without the equipment?
-Mourning & Handicapped
Hello M&H.
I am sorry for your loss. I know that you have a full plate and doing ankle rehab is probably a low priority right now. I will keep this simple and very “low tech”. I suggest that you practice your “A-B-Cs”. It’s really very easy. While watching television, sitting on the couch, or even standing in line at a movie theatre, you can do this exercise. All you do is use your big toe to spell out the entire alphabet. You can spell it out on the carpet our write it in the air! By the time you get to the letter “Z”, you will have explored every possible range of motion known to man. I hope this helps and I wish you a safe return home!
Hi Doc!
I learn so much from your columns. I have not injured myself but was so happy to see that they have catalogued your columns on a single page. Now I can refer back in case I need to (in the future). Thanks so much for this! Although I haven’t had an injury, I’d like to ask a question.
I am a runner. Well I’d like to call myself a runner. I have not completed my first marathon as of yet, but I am working my way up from the 5K to the 10K. I’d like to get the nutrition thing down pat. So here’s my question: Should I take protein before or after my runs?
Jaime S.
Hey Jaime!
Thanks for following. It’s really nice to know that people are actually reading my column. Now I’ve got two solid readers (YOU and my mother)! I guess you haven’t been following my video blog? I did one on Pre-Game nutrition not long ago. Check it out when you get a chance.
To answer your question, I recommend you eat protein AFTER your workout or run. Protein is the building block of muscle recovery/repair. It won’t do too much for you during game time, but it is a great recovery tool after you beat your body up on the court, field, ice, track, or wherever your athletic endeavors take you. RULE OF THUMB: Carbohydrates before, protein after!
Remember, my perception of things is limited to the information you give me, so be careful when taking my recommendations over your own physician who actually examines you regularly. The more information you give me, the more I can help. It helps me to give you the best recommendations when you provide information like age, sex, date of injury, past injuries, and things of that nature. Well those are all the questions we have time for today folks, but please check out some of my favorite quotes below from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Until next week, stay STRONG BEACH!!!
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”
“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”
“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.”
“Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”
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