St. Elizabeth Healthcare looks at winter high school sports and what athletes, coaches and parents should know to stay healthy and optimize performance. Last month we covered swimming. Today: wrestling.
Key dates:
Kentucky:
- Regular season through Feb. 6;
- Region tournaments week of Feb. 7-13;
- State tournament week of Feb. 14-20.
Ohio:
- Regular season through Feb. 19;
- Individual sectional tournaments Feb. 20-25;
- District tournaments Feb. 28-March 4;
- State tournament March 9-11.
Common injuries:
Shoulders are a hot spot for wrestlers, which probably isn’t surprising given a wrestler’s propensity for twisting and contorting it to extricate themselves from holds – plus an opponent yanking and tugging on it. The shoulder has the largest range of motion of the body’s joints, and dislocations or subluxations (partial dislocations) are not uncommon.
With a subluxation, the humeral head “doesn’t come out of the joint like a dislocation,” said Kathy Boehmer, physical therapist with St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine. “It just moves off its golf tee, if you will.”
Back and neck strains and even broken collarbones are also common wrestling-related injuries.
Wrestlers and staff should also should be aware of infections like MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and ringworm that potentially can be passed on by skin-to-skin contact or contact with mats.
Prevention and cure:
Hyper-mobility and laxity in joints can help make wrestlers elusive, but those same traits can contribute to injury. Boehmer recommends exercises incorporating a pulling, as opposed to a pushing, motion to build shoulder stability and balance.
Given the inherently physical nature of wrestling, it’s imperative that injuries be sufficiently healed before athletes return to practice or competition. It’s possible that a wrestler may be permitted to resume cardio or controlled strengthening work before being cleared for contact. Ice is a good first option for sprains and strains, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories also can be used as needed.
For MRSA, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following to help prevent its contraction and spread:
- Shower with hot water within 30 minutes of exercise.
- Don’t share clothes, towels or equipment, and wash clothes after each wearing.
- Clean equipment at least weekly with a diluted bleach or commercial antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiviral solution. Wipe down mats before and after practices.
- Have pimples, boils, spider bites and other lesions evaluated by coaches and/or training staff.
The last word:
Through the years, some wrestlers sought competitive advantages by wrestling at lower weights, sometimes doing so by “cutting weight” in rapid or unhealthy ways. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association now establishes a minimum weight for wrestlers, verified by an independent body analysis and hydration test, before the start of the season.
