Episode 14: How to Prevent Overuse Injuries in Sports w/ Dr. John Luksch
This week, Dr. Mike Quintans is joined by Dr. John Luksch, a board-certified, fellowship-trained primary care sports medicine physician at the Rothman Orthopedic Institute in Malvern and Glen Mills. Dr. Luksch specializes in the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in athletes. His clinical interests include overuse injuries in young athletes, sports related concussions, musculoskeletal ultrasounds, non-surgical treatment of injuries, and injury prevention. He has served as the team physician for a variety of high schools, colleges, and professional teams, including the Philadelphia Union (Major League Soccer).
Dr. Quintans and Dr. Luksch will be discussing a hot topic in the field right now: overuse injuries in youth sports, and the psychological and social impact of these injuries.
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6:30 – Many high school athletes got their seasons canceled due to COVID-19, but Dr. Luksch is seeing that many club teams are still operating. He is starting to see more athletes in his office again, but not quite the amount he would during a regular fall. Some of the injuries he has seen post quarantine are from people who started a new physical activity, such as running, without anyone to train them. Additionally, some people have injuries from over-exercising themselves with all the extra time they had in quarantine.
11:15 – They discuss how student-athletes who have gone from sedentary lifestyles in quarantine to catching up on missed seasons and playing multiple sports at once are more at risk for injury.
16:30 – For growing and developing kids competing in sports, everyone is at risk for developing injury no matter what sport they are playing. This is why Dr. Luksch believes one of the most important parts of his job is to educate athletes, parents, and coaches.
22:22 – Dr. Luksch talks about a COVID-19 action plan for the college athletes he serves. For athletes who have tested positive, he sends them to a cardiologist to get evaluated.
26:50 – Dr. Luksch discusses what the potential psychosocial impact could be on high school students who are missing out on the social experience and camaraderie of sports, senior nights, and homecoming games. Dr. Quintans adds in how young people develop their maturity throughout high school and college, so losing these sports experiences may be taking away from some of their typical development.
31:35 – Dr. Luksch explains what apotheosis is and the effects it has on young athletes. Additionally, they discuss how some injuries can go unsee on the field but are obvious when conducting specific tests – like the lunge matrix – in the clinic.
39:30 – The doctors discuss appropriate recovery times which are usually a minimum of six weeks to allow the reduction of inflammation. They also talk about how important it is to maintain physical therapy practices after athletes return to sports from an injury. Going back to sports after recovery is not the endpoint.
44:55 – Dr. Quintans brings up some of the research about “return to throw” protocols for baseball athletes. One statistic found that athletes who throw 10 months out of the year are ten times more likely to tear their UCL. Dr. Luksch suggests that athletes vary their activities and spend a period of at least 3 months away from their sport.
50:00 – The doctors brainstorm about what screening tests they can use in their own practices to ensure they are getting the full medical picture and to improve outcomes for their patients.
54:45 – Educate and empower. Dr. Luksch describes that whether someone is a sports medicine physician, athletic trainer, physical therapist, or strength conditioning coach, at the core of what all these people do is educate and empower.
CONTACT
Rothman Orthopedic Institute – 1-800-321-9999
Twitter – @drlukschsports