Going to the nurses office -Jesus Zuniga and Santiago Zarco Rodriguez

Sport medicine club, wha-t! Half of the East campus is wondering.

Maybe you’ve seen the couple of flyers up by the second and third floor library, or maybe even the ones next to the elevators here at the school, about a new club on sports medicine that will be starting up in the coming school year, but some may wonder what exactly sports medicine is. Just like there are many different types of doctors who practice different types of medicine to better help you when you go to the hospital, there is sports medicine. As the name suggests, sports medicine physicians tend to work with sport-related injuries, but you do not need to have a sport-related injury to go and see a sports medicine physician. Sports medicine physicians help with injuries, whether or not they are related to playing a sport. A big part of sports medicine is musculoskeletal. Now, wait, what is musculoskeletal? It is the muscular and skeletal systems, which include bones, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that are attached to make up the musculoskeletal system. According to a survey done here at Morton East of 100 students, 49 said they do not know what a sports medicine physician is.

“Although we are still in the process of being approved, some things that are expected for the club are that there will be monthly meetings, 5 hours a week, and if a student is not passing his/her class, they will not be able to partake in the activities. Students in the club at some point will be able to ice and even tape the injuries themselves,” Head athletic trainer at Morton West Anthony Cerda said.

When treating injuries, some physicians like to use the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), but some have moved from this method and have begun using Kinesio tape.

“A lot of people are different and prefer different methods when it comes to treating their injuries, but when using Kinesio tape, make sure to check the skin, since some people can have sensitive skin and it can become irritated,” Alumni Occupational Therapist Assistant Araceli Delgado said.

Breaking/Spraining your leg and ankle can be distressing, especially to someone who is an athlete. Having a good doctor and a good support system can be comforting to the injured person.

“I was wrestling another girl, and she swung my leg to one side, and I heard a pop when she let go. My ankle was sprained. I went to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital for treatment. In the end, they did X-rays and gave me a cast,” Senior Emeli Salinas Leanos said.

Putting ice on your injury can help reduce inflammation and numb pain in the area that was injured

” I sprained my ankle a total of three times already, but most of my spraining was my fault lol. I sprained my ankle twice by running down the stairs and once by rolling out of a cheer mat, my foot got stuck. I went to a trainer everyday, I did ankle exercises for about an hour to strengthen my ankle.  I also iced my ankle constantly,” Senior Viviana Franco said.

staying off your sprained or broken leg and ankle helps in avoiding damaging the tissue even more

” I got my injury while playing a match of tennis against another school in which I took the wrong step and my ankle kind of  folded and I sprained it as a result.  It got swollen and got all purple and stuff. I wasn’t able to walk normally for a whole week. The physical therapist recommended that I stay off and put ice on it daily, but all I did was avoid walking in crowed places and put ice in the morning and as well at night,” Senior Christopher Gomez Cruz said.

Students interested in joining Sports Medicine Club should contact Arianna Gonzalez, assistant principal in charge of student activities.