Thoughts from the 2011 medical symposium: Importance of fatigue management

A couple of weeks ago we hosted our medical symposium here at ETSU. Topics included concussion, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, and strength training for children.

It was hugely impressive to see the presentations the two MDs,  Dr. Eric Parks and Dr. Micky Collins touch upon the role of fatigue, strength, periodization, and overtraining. This truly was looking at the big picture. If these concepts are being understood and reinforced by those in the medical field, things must be moving forward.

Dr. Parks presented on sickle cell and the athlete. I am not going to give a recap on his presentation because this is beyond the scope of this article. What I will tell you is that Dr. Parks went into depth about how athletes with sickle cell anemia need to be planned and adjusted for when it comes to training and performance. Just like a player coming back from injury or a player that is less trained, training these athletes needs to be approached with caution. It further strengthens the need for an "individual within a team" approach for training.

Questions & emails

Just a quick note. If any of you have emailed me or messaged me with a question or something you would like to see on this blog, then please email me again to give me a kick up the arse. Don't feel that a reminder will annoy me - some things simply have been buried under other emails. Please do not take this as something deliberate. sportscienceed@gmail.com

I have always been impressed by people I have emailed out of the blue and got quick responses, so aim to be more like this in the future. Following an interesting little transition period here at the center of excellence, things are settling down and I have put an hour in my schedule every day to write back to people and also blog more so watch this space.

2011 Medical Symposium

Just a note to announce that we are holding a symposium for the medical profession here in Johnson City on Friday. Additionally, there will be a free talk in the evening by Dr. Michael Collins on concussion management. Apologies about the lateness of this notice but hopefully it will still interest those of you who are local.

From our website:

Schedule for the 2011 Medical Symposium

May 12, 2011– ETSU Culp Center

7-9pm – Sports Concussion Management: What are we Learning? – Dr. Michael Collins This talk is for coaches, parents and athletes and is FREE to all who attend!!

May 13, 2011– Millennium Centre

7:45-8:15am – Registration

8:15-8:30am – Welcome & Introduction – Meg Stone & Dr. R.J. Elbin

8:30-10am –  Sports Concussion  Management: What are we Learning? –  Dr. Collins

10:15-11:45am – Sickle Cell and the Athlete –  Dr. Parks

11:45-12:45pm – Lunch

12:45-2:15pm– Muscle Remodeling in Formerly Sedentary Subjects After Exercise Training –  Dr. Stuart

2:15-3:45pm – Resistance Training for the  Athlete with Type 1 Diabetes – Dr. Hornsby

4-4:45pm – A Practical Application for Strength & Conditioning in Children - Dr. Calendine

4:45-5:30pm – Children, Adolescents and Strength Training – Dr. Stone

Speakers

Dr. Micky Collins (Keynote Speaker) – Dr. Collins is a  nationally renowned  expert in the area of sports-related concussions, and is also a leading clinician and  researcher. In addition, he has been instrumental in the development of numerous concussion  management programs at the youth sports level  nationwide. Dr. Collins is the assistant director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program.  He will be coming to ETSU to speak on the issues pertaining to  concussions. In the past Dr. Collins has worked with Tim Tebow, during his experience with concussions.

Dr. Eric Parks – Dr. Parks is a sports medicine physician at Watauga Orthopaedics. He specializes in the diagnosis and  treatment of new and overuse musculoskeletal injuries, chronic musculoskeletal disease, such as  arthritis, and the non-operative management of fractures.

Dr. Guy Honrsby – Dr. Guy Hornsby is an exercise physiologist from the West Virginia University School of Medicine where he serves as director of the WVU Human Performance Lab. He has served on the national board of directors of the American Diabetes Association and is currently the immediate past-chair of the board of directors of the Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association.

Dr. Charles Stuart - Charles Stuart is a professor of internal medicine at the East Tennessee State University Quillen College of  Medicine. His clinical consulting practice in Johnson City focuses on patients with challenging diabetes  management issues.

Dr. Chris Calendine – Dr. Chris Calendine is the Director of Pediatrics for Rural Health Services Consortium, Inc. and is also the Founder of ProStrength and Speed Youth Health Initiative, in Rogersville TN, and the Team Physician for Cherokee Comprehensive High School.

Dr. Michael Stone – Director of the Exercise and Sport Science Laboratory as well as program coordinator for the PhD program at ETSU. Published extensively on strength training for adolescents. Previous Head of Physiology for the USOC.

If you are interested check out the full posting here.

Graduation at ETSU

Congratulations to all of the May 2011 graduates here in Johnson City!

All in all 33 ETSU athletes will be graduating, including men's soccer's Guilherme Reis. Gui has brought so much to this program in the two years he has been here, and I know without his ability and leadership, the 2010 season would have been very different.
Thank you Gui!

Staff-wise, the ETSU men's soccer team sees graduate assistant athletic trainer Andy Swanson depart with his master's degree in sport management. Trey Mitchell (sport science staff) will be leaving with his masters in exercise physiology to play for Charlotte Rugby Club, while two of our sport science interns, Aaron Thomas and Scott Dishner, have successfully completed their bachelor's degree in the same field. A huge thank you for all your efforts over the past year or two.