Episode 12: Return to Sports in the Wake of COVID-19 w/ Dr. David Webner
This week, Dr. Mike Quintans is talking with Dr. David Webner, a board-certified sports medicine and brain injury medicine physician at Crozer Health Sports Medicine. His main areas of research include endurance sports medicine and sports concussion.
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02:19 - Dr. Webner works with recreational, amateur, and professional athletes of all ages. He is the team physician for the Philadelphia Union, Widener University, and Interboro high school.
03:10 - Dr. Webner and his fellow practitioners serve multiple high schools within the Philadelphia suburbs as the team physicians. They are the go-to people for anything related to athletes, illness, and injury.
04:45 - As a primary care sports medicine physician, he looks at every aspect of an athlete from cardiac and neurological issues to emotional health. Drs. Quintans and Webner agree that anyone who moves their body beyond their daily activities is considered an athlete, and can benefit from sports medicine.
07:51 - One third of his patients are primary and secondary school athletes, one third weekend warriors to college athletes, and one third are the elderly population.
14:53 - Dr. Webner discusses some of the successes and challenges he faced as he helped restart Major League Soccer - the first professional sport to start up again in the wake of COVID-19.
25:14 – While high school athletes do not have as many resources against COVID compared to professional teams, there are still ways to return safety through social distancing, wearing masks, and practicing responsibly in pods.
28:04 – Dr. Webner discusses which sports he thinks are safest to return to play, and what measures all athletes can take to return to sports safely. He discusses multiple ways to deal with the discomforts of wearing masks while playing sports. Some of these include: bringing multiple masks to switch out when they get too sweaty and taking water breaks away from others so you have a chance to catch your breath without a mask on.
35:53 - Dr. Webner describes some of the after-effects of COVID on people’s health.
40:34 - People who have symptoms after they’ve “recovered” from COVID need to be looked at closely by a cardiologist to see if there is any heart damage. Myocarditis is an inflammation in the heart muscle that can lead to arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) which are potentially life-threatening.
44:00 - Parents should have an open dialogue with their children and pay attention to their activity levels - if they are suddenly laboring themselves to play sports, go on a walk, or run around the house, then that is an indication they should see a doctor.
50:30 - Dr. Webner talks about the degree to which sports will return in the fall, and how accountability will play a large role in this. He offers advice to organizations on how to approach decision making when it comes to sports and COVID protocols.
58:28 - A good rule of thumb for athletes returning to sports after recovering from COVID is to take it gradually.
CONTACT
Crozer Health Sports Medicine | 610-328-8830
https://www.crozerhealth.org/providers/profiles/w/david-webner/