Sports medicine symposium welcomes aspiring athletic trainers

Future sports doctors, athletes and trainers should get some insights into their careers July 28 at the Colorado High School Activities Association’s symposium at the DCSD Legacy Campus in Parker.

It’s the fourth such event, and features 10 speakers from across the sports science spectrum, tackling issues like concussions, nutrition for young athletes, preventive strategies for overuse injuries, mental health, medical timeouts and more CHSAA updates.

“I’m always excited to get the opportunity to speak in front of the folks that are actually working with the youth athletes out in the community at these high schools and really hear from them because I think that’s the best way to learn,” said Eric Post, a certified athletic trainer and sports medicine researcher with the U.S. Olympic &
Paralympic Committee.

Standley Lake senior Liam Graham and athletic trainer Mercedes Steidley pose for a photo at the Gators’ football field. Graham is a multi-sport athlete in football and track, and is back on the field after several years of health issues Steidley helped discover. Credit: John Renfrow

Like many who begin in the sports medicine field, Post worked as an athletic trainer, starting in minor league and collegiate baseball at Illinois State University.

While chasing his master’s degree, he was a graduate assistant for the team, which gave him time and flexibility to delve into more research-based work.

“I started noticing some of the players I was working with were coming into college with Tommy John surgery (to repair a torn or damaged ligament in the elbow), already having had it in high school as opposed to having had it at the end of their career in the major leagues,” Post said. “So, I started getting that as a kind of first research.”

This is Post’s first appearance at a CHSAA event, and he’s excited to pick the brains of his peers and members of the audience interested in learning more.

His session is titled “Youth sports then and now: Preventing overuse injuries in the age of early sport specialization”, and is set for 8:45 a.m. on July 28.

“Usually I learn from the folks that are actually on the ground working in the settings and hearing the things they’re seeing, which helps to generate more research questions and more opportunities to go out and try to solve some of these problems,” Post said. “So it’s always a mutually beneficial thing where hopefully I’m providing something that helps them do their job, but they are also providing me with a ton of information about what they’re actually seeing in the sports world out there.”

Infatuation with protein

Max Deutz is the director of sports nutrition education at Colorado State University. His talk at the symposium, scheduled for 10 a.m., will cover protein synthesis in athlete populations.

A general fascination with protein has blossomed in recent years with the general public, he said.

“A lot of these high school athletic trainers, for example, don’t have a dietitian on staff,” he said. “So they might get asked questions about specific things with nutrition. I figured, considering my expertise and the public infatuation with protein, giving some fundamentals and then also some new information about protein would hopefully be beneficial for these athletic trainers.”

Nutrition focus, especially in young athletes, is something that is evolving constantly, he explained. Deutz’s PhD work has largely focused on protein metabolism.

Dr. Aubrey Armento treats a patient at the Sports Medicine Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Credit: Courtesy of Children's Hospital Colorado

“It’s not as overlooked as it was 10 to 15 years ago,” he said. “I think people are becoming more informed, but there’s still a large gap between general knowledge and how important it can be for sports. That’s not necessarily to fault the athletes; they’re young and perhaps they didn’t grow up in a family that prioritizes nutrition or discusses just the importance that it can make. So it’s not necessarily on them, but they’re very impressionable, so it’s a period that is great to be able to help the professionals so that they can help the athletes.”

Other speakers include:

• Kylie Clark PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS (physical therapist)
• Jeffrey Ebel, DO (Orthopedic & Spine Center of the Rockies)
• Matthew P.M. Kitashima (Meiso Consulting)
• Robert Lopez-Babin (Children’s Hospital Colorado Sports Medicine Center)
• Jason McWilliams, MS, ATC (UC Health Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Clinic)
• Justin Newman, M.D. (orthopedic surgeon)
• Kevin Roberts, MEd. LAT, ATC (Academy SD 20)
• Chad Smidt, ATC (Orthopedic & Spine Center of the Rockies)

Athletic trainers are encouraged to register at this link for the event.

“A huge benefit of getting out there and going to these things is seeing what the cutting-edge research is and finding some new techniques or some new data you can take back to improve your patient care and set yourself apart as an early professional or as a student,” Post said. “I think it’s such a great opportunity to try to actually get to meet and interact with folks that are interested in the same things you’re interested in. So, I think it’s a huge opportunity if you know, young professionals are willing to put themselves out there. You can get a lot out of it.”

For more information on the event, including the agenda, schedule and more, visit CHSAA’s website at this link.