The University of Mississippi Athletics
STAFF BLOG: Singletary On Swine Flu Prevention
9/5/2009 | Athletics
The Ole Miss athletics department's senior staff and leadership publish blogs on OleMissSports.com to offer fans added insight into the overall operation of the department. Shannon Singletary is in his sixth year with the athletics department and serves as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine/Strength & Conditioning.
September 5, 2009
Sports Medicine is often thought of as the care of athletic related injuries. Athletic trainers and physicians that deal with athletes everyday are used to treating sprained ankles, dislocated shoulders and knee injuries. However, at the beginning of the school year, Ole Miss Sports Medicine has been spending a great deal of time with pre-participation physicals that include a full body screening of both physiological and anatomical systems of the body. All systems of the body are screened from cardiac system to the musculoskeletal system. The cardiac system is tested in four major steps. It begins with a thorough family and personal history. The history is followed by an EKG and an examination performed by a cardiologist. Any red flags at all trigger a strenuous stress echocardiogram in which the heart can be viewed through ultrasound during exercise-induced stress. Although these annual physicals for athletes are routine, the health care providers that make up the sports medicine program are often thrown a curve ball each year and have to adjust to deal with non-traditional sports health issues as well. Four summers ago, the Oxford campus had one of its hottest and driest summers. The athletic trainers adjusted to make sure that players were hydrated and cooled appropriately. Two years ago, the media reported widespread outbreaks of staph infection and an even more harmful strain causing a staph infection known as MRSA. Team physicians and athletic trainers educated athletes on proper hygiene and wound care. Anti-bacterial foggers are routinely set off in locker rooms, and special laundry detergents are now used to prevent harmful staph infections. Specific medical protocols in terms of treatment of infections were also established by our medical physicians. Finally, this year we were thrown the Swine Flu. The Oxford campus and Ole Miss Athletes have had to recognize, treat and prevent as much exposure as possible.
Just like with other injuries and illnesses, Ole Miss Sports Medicine has established a protocol that involves both education and treatment for Swine Flu and/or Flu-like symptoms. All of our 11 certified athletic trainers have been busy educating all athletes on prevention tips such as hand washing and proper hygiene. Signs indicating proper hand washing and other preventative tips have been hung in our athletics facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms and offices. Our athletes are instructed to report any flu-like symptoms to the athletic training rooms each morning. They are then seen by our team physicians and treated accordingly. Many of our athletes share dorm rooms or apartments with other students. We instruct any athlete with flu-like symptoms to isolate themselves if at all possible while these symptoms persist. This is usually for three days at the most. As we do every year, we will be administering our annual flu vaccines. As the Swine Flu vaccine becomes available, we will be looking into offering and encouraging this vaccine as well. Although the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus is more harmful to high risk patients such as the very young and elderly populations, our healthy athletes are at times at higher risk due to the extreme workouts and practices that place physical stress to the body thus suppressing the immune system. This in turn can make our athletes more susceptible to contracting and/or suffering from symptoms of the virus. Finally, Ole Miss Sports Medicine works closely with our Department of Student and Employee Health. Barbara Collier, director of health services, is doing a fantastic job of informing the campus including athletics with regular Swine Flu updates and proper plans of action for the campus. Ole Miss Sports Medicine will continue to strive and make sure that all of our athletes are educated and treated effectively to maintain their optimal health.
February 27, 2009
Winning championships at Ole Miss requires teamwork not only from athletes and coaches but from support staffs such as academics, media relations and athletics administration. Optimal health and well being of student-athletes requires that same "team" concept. Often times the media credits athletic trainers, therapists and physicians with returning the athlete to play. Although the athlete most likely would not return to optimal health without that team of sports medicine professionals, there is another vital member of the "team" that is overlooked. That would be the strength and conditioning staff. The strength and conditioning coaches at Ole Miss play a vital role in not only performance of our athletes but also in preventing injuries and returning athletes to their optimal level of performance.
Here at Ole Miss, we have seven full-time strength and conditioning coaches. All of our strength and conditioning coaches hold credentials and certifications within the profession of strength and conditioning. Not only that, each strength coach is matched to a sport in which they have had multiple years of experience. Each time at Ole Miss we see an athlete return a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, a player score a last second goal, or a long-jumper become the best in the world, there is a strength coach here that has worked tirelessly teaching technique and motivating that same athlete to excel in their strength and conditioning. These strength and conditioning coaches work very closely with our team of certified athletic trainers by providing specific strength training exercises that aid in the prevention, rehabilitation and return-to-play phases of injury care. Post injury, the athletic trainers are charged with using rehabilitation techniques to regain musculoskeletal function that was lost. Once it is safe, the strength coaches begin a phase of sport specific exercises to regain their sport specific function.
We currently have two state-of-the-art strength training facilities. Both facilities are designed to train athletes both sport specifically and safely. From the special rubberized flooring, to the olympic lifting platforms, to the latest models of cardio equipment, our coaches provide each athlete with the opportunity to compete safely at their highest performance level. We are very excited about the opening of our third strength training facility in the fall. Men's and women's basketball will open the 2009-10 season training in a new state-of-the-art weight room and athletic training facilities within the brand new Basketball Practice Facility. These facilities will be another tool for our team of strength coaches and athletic trainers to use in providing quality healthcare and opportunities for our student athletes to become the very best. As we speak of the "team" concept we recognize that our team is not complete without the support of the University of Mississippi Administration and the support Ole Miss alumni and friends. From the strength and conditioning program and the sports medicine program here at Ole Miss, we say thank you for being a part of this great team as we develop the physical attributes of young men and women.
August 19, 2008
Athletic Training and Sports Medicine can be defined as the care and prevention of athletic related injuries. Just as other technology advances with time, so does the care for athletic related injuries. Some of the areas of advancement include prevention of infections, x-ray technology and rehabilitation of lower extremity injuries, and Ole Miss Sports Medicine is keeping up with the "best practices" in these areas.
With the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant staph infections, aggressive precautions and treatments have emerged as the standard of care in all health care settings. Here at Ole Miss, we are using educational posters in all locker rooms and restrooms, cleaning every surface in which athletes come into contact, and requiring athletes to report all open wounds to the athletic training staff. Our team physicians are requiring that wounds be cultured and the appropriate antibiotics be administered if applicable. The athletic training rooms and locker rooms are treated with a newly developed broad spectrum antimicrobial foggers. These foggers are activated in the middle of the night and cover all contact surfaces in athletic training and locker facilities, killing on contact the bacteria and viruses that cause the infections. Finally, the football indoor practice facility and game field's synthetic surfaces are sprayed with antiseptic chemicals to help combat the hard to kill bacteria and viruses.
Digital technology has made its way into x-ray machines also. Our sports medicine program is in the process of purchasing a new digital x-ray machine. These mini C-arms, as they are called, weigh less than 200 pounds now and make it easy for athletic trainers to move between facilities. Fans may often see an athletic trainer walk or run a player into the tunnel only to emerge 10 minutes later with the athlete wearing a brace or splint and return to play. Chances are the player has just been x-rayed for a suspected fracture. This year will be no different, but the quality of the image and the quick communication to the physician will be greatly enhanced. The high definition camera and monitor will allow our physicians to view an image that is crystal clear, allowing for a more thorough examination. Our team physicians will also be able to have an athlete mimic a particular athletic movement, while at the same time, video record the movement in x-ray detail. The throwing athlete will be able to go through the throwing motion while our team physicians view the movement of the joint with x-ray vision. The digital x-ray images can be recorded from the C-arm to a DVD or simply emailed via internet to another location for other physicians to view. Visiting teams will be able to have their x-rays recorded or emailed back to their university for their own team physician to view.
What do you get when you combine the effects of water and a treadmill? You get the latest in aquatic therapy. We are in our fourth season with the use of the Hydroworx 2000 pool system. Ole Miss Sports Medicine was ahead of the learning curve with this innovative pool. By lowering the body into water onto the underwater treadmill, an athlete can run on a surgically repaired knee, hip, or ankle up to three times sooner than on land. By taking away the weight bearing forces of gravity, an athlete is able to keep their running motion while waiting for the injury to heal. This allows the athlete to maintain cardiovascular endurance or to "stay in shape" while waiting to heal. The treadmill reaches a speed of approximately eight miles per hour. However if that is not enough resistance, the underwater jets send a current that will increase resistance against the athlete's movement. Finally, the underwater cameras allow the athletic trainers and physical therapists to view the running mechanics of the athlete. This pool not only benefits our running sports but also is of great benefit to jumpers, as in basketball. Brittney Reese often used the Hydroworx pool to work out as she prepared for her long jumping competitions.
These advances in healthcare are just some of the ways that Ole Miss Sports Medicine continues to ensure that our athletes have an opportunity to succeed on the field as well as maintain a healthy body during training.
February 1, 2008
Participation in athletics has grown exponentially over the past two decades. Both male and female athletes have increased in number on all levels including both high school and collegiate sports. The rise in number of athletes unfortunately increases the number of injuries and illnesses that are contributed to sports. In order for NCAA member institutions to meet the demands of health related issues for student-athletes, a more comprehensive prevention and health care service program has evolved. The University of Mississippi is no exception.
Our philosophy is to have a proactive approach to providing a complete sports medicine program. Education, prevention, conditioning, assessment and timely treatment are the parameters that are met to ensure that all of our student-athletes maintain a healthy experience with an end result of optimal athletic performance.
Ole Miss Sports Medicine works in conjunction with the Rebel Ready program to educate our athletes on issues such as the effects of alcohol on athletic and academic performance. Despite the myth that student-athletes love to party and drink alcohol, statistics say that only 2-3 percent of NCAA athletes consume alcohol on a regular basis. We routinely bring in sports nutritionists and counselors to educate our student-athletes on the effects of drugs and nutritional supplements. With performance-enhancing drugs being easily accessible and a huge temptation in college athletics today, we spend a great deal of time talking to our athletes about the facts of such dangerous drugs.
Prevention of injuries starts with comprehensive pre-participation physicals that each student-athlete receives on an annual basis. A cardiac exam is just part of a complete medical history and physical exam that is performed on all student-athletes. This information is used to determine whether or not an athlete should compete or if any modifications need to be made to ensure a healthy lifestyle for the student-athlete. Vaccinations, such as for the flu, are offered to all athletes each year. Lab work is done on each athlete to test for such limiting conditions as sickle cell disease.
Minimizing athletic injuries would not be possible without a sound strength and conditioning program. We have nine strength and conditioning coaches that are charged with developing training programs that not only ensure peak athletic performance but also make it possible for the body to sustain the physical demands of competition in the Southeastern Conference. Our low injury rate is a direct result of the phenomenal job of our entire strength and conditioning program.
Treatment of athletic injuries begins with the athletic trainers. Ole Miss Sports Medicine has 10 certified and licensed athletic trainers. These allied health care professionals are responsible for providing quick on-site assessment, making efficient referrals to the appropriate health care providers and rehabilitation.
At Ole Miss, we are fortunate to be a part of a caring medical community. Many physicians covering a wide range of specialties donate time and resources to our student athletes. Baptist Medical Center -North Mississippi partners with our athletics department to provide state of the art medical services. Over two years ago, Ole Miss Sports Medicine and Student Life Services launched its own Physical Therapy Clinic that is housed in the Starnes Athletic Training Center. This program provides rehabilitation services for not only student-athletes but also for students, faculty and staff here at the University of Mississippi. This partnership has laid a foundation for continued research, outcome measurements and visionary thinking so that we can continue to provide the best healthcare and ultimately give our student-athletes the opportunity to reach all of their academic and athletic goals.