Oh, the pain
of the game!

By Colleen Boyle Sharp
For the Times

Last spring, when Frankford High School baseball player Jose Burgos dived to catch a line drive, injury was the last thing on his mind. But as the rightfielder’s shoulder slammed to the ground and popped from its socket, the reality of a season-ending injury suddenly came into clear focus.
"I knew it was bad because I was in a lot of pain," recalls Burgos.
The months ahead got better for him. With the help of Temple University’s athletic trainer, Malvin Carrion, and three months of physical therapy, Burgos was able to rehabilitate his shoulder without surgery.
"It now feels great, like nothing ever happened," said the outfielder.
Fully recovered, the Frankford senior — whose team won the Public League championship last week — is looking forward to continuing his baseball career when he attends La Salle University in the fall.
Burgos is fortunate.
For many athletes, like Shea Belte, surgery is the only option. Belte, a senior center/forward for Holy Family University’s women’s basketball team, has endured two surgeries to replace torn ACLs (anterior cruciate ligament) in her knees — one while in high school and the most recent last summer.
The ACL, one of four ligaments that hold the knee joint in place, actually has a higher number of incidences in females.
Studies have shown that many physiological differences, like the flexibility of females and possibly the cyclical pattern of estrogen, can be factors that contribute to the imbalance of injuries when comparing males to female.
An ACL tear is a traumatic injury — Belte already has been told by her physician that sports-related arthritis exists in her knee.
Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi, chief of sports medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital, says it is a condition that is becoming more common.
"I think in the next thirty years we are going to see a huge increase in patients who have arthritis requiring joint surgery as a result of the number of injuries that occur during the teenage years," he said.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that high school athletes alone account for 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor’s visits and 30,000 hospitalizations annually. While most of these injuries fall into the contusion, sprain and strain category, many young players are facing the same acute traumatic injuries that professional athletes experience.
Since the birth of Title IV in 1972, the federal law that leveled the athletic playing field for both women and men, involvement in high school sports has nearly doubled, but physicians say the sheer volume of participation does not alone justify the number of injuries.
So what is to blame for the rise in high school sports injuries?
"An increase in frequency of play, an increase in intensity of play, and an increase in duration of play," said Bartolozzi. "Years ago, kids would play sports in different seasons, soccer in the fall, baseball in the spring, now we are requiring athletes at a younger age to choose a sport in order to be more competitive.
"By concentrating on one sport throughout the year, and playing on two and three different teams within that sport, these young athletes are giving up an off-season and the time for their bodies to rest, therefore increasing their chance for serious injury," he explained.
Physicians and athletic trainers are in agreement that rest after injuries and in between playing is as vital to an athlete as hydration, conditioning and training. Neglect in any or all of these areas can affect athletic performance and put the athlete in harm’s way.
"It’s becoming an epidemic in our society," says Jim Rogers, athletic trainer at Temple Sports Medicine. "If we would just devalue playing hurt and allowing the athlete time to rest the injury, I think you will win every time in getting that player back on the field quicker.
"I see little leaguers playing with injuries that college and pro athletes would never consider playing with," he added.
On a positive note, in his 32 years as a consultant to Philadelphia’s Public and Catholic leagues, Rogers says he has found today’s climate and risk of injuries a lot safer for young athletes than when he got his start in the field.
"We know have better athletic shoes, better equipment, more age-appropriate rules, and now Certified Athletic Trainers, but we need to get a grip on overuse injuries," he said.
Bartolozzi suggests a collaborative effort among physicians, athletic trainers, coaches and the athletes themselves to minimize the threat of player injury.
"First, coaches need to be responsible and make sure they are not overworking their players," he said. "Athletes need to maintain personal conditioning and become educated on the risks of injury. When there is an injury, physicians and athletic trainers have to take responsibility in making sure the athlete is prepared both physically and psychologically before they return."
In Belte’s case, she credits Holy Family University’s athletic trainer, Janet Panek, with supporting her through her rehabilitation.
"Emotionally, you need someone to be able to understand what you are going through and know where you have to go, and Janet was really there for me," said Belte.
To stabilize her knee, Belte now wears a custom-fitted brace when practicing or playing and continues to condition her knee with weight-training several times a week. Although the scars are still a reminder of the pain, Belte, a good student in the classroom with a double major in psychology and sociology, has moved on and is looking ahead to her final year at Holy Family. Besides graduating in the spring, Shea has one goal.
"I just want to stay healthy and play basketball," she said. ••