Seattle Mariners Opening Night at Safeco Field

Spring has sprung and OSS is excited that baseball season has started!

Seattle baseball fans, tonight is the night to cheer on the Mariners as they take on their division rivals, the Angels!  Seattle swept the Angels in a three-game series to open the season in Anaheim, and tonight’s meeting will be a rematch between the Mariners’ James Paxton and Halos left-hander Hector Santiago from the season’s third game, which Seattle won, 8-2. 

Tonight’s home game also a number of new faces, including new manager Lloyd McClendon and superstar second baseman Robinson Cano, who signed as a free agent this winter.  Fernando Rodney, Logan Morrison, John Buck, Corey Hart and Chris Young are also among the new Mariners set to be introduced tonight.

Other highlights of tonight’s home opener include:

  • The Mariners will salute the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks tonight as part of their Opening Night ceremonies at Safeco Field, with quarterback Russell Wilson among several players who will be part of a pre-game presentation and the ceremonial first pitch.
  • Opening Night festivities will begin at 4:40 p.m. PT, when the gates of Safeco Field open to the general public with a countdown at the Home Plate Gate. Pre-game ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m. PT.
  • With catcher Mike Zunino and reliever Dominic Leone, the Mariners are the only team in the Majors with two players from the 2012 Draft on their active roster. Zunino was Seattle’s first-round Draft pick, and Leone was a 16th-round selection.
  • Ibanez made his first start in left field on Monday. The 41-year-old designated hitter won’t come close to matching the 832 1/3 innings he spent in the outfield with the Mariners last year, but Angels manager Mike Scioscia has said he’d like to get him some time out there periodically.

OSS wants to wish the Mariners an exciting and injury-free season! Now… let’s play ball!

Zumba Craze and Injury Prevention

zumbaCreated in the late 1990s in Colombia by the fitness instructor Alberto Perez, Zumba is a high-energy aerobic workout based on dance steps borrowed from merengue, salsa and other dances.

An estimated 12 million fitness buffs worldwide are taking Zumba classes at about 110,000 locations.

The sessions are taught at big city health clubs and storefront yoga studios, in church basements and school auditoriums – even in nightclubs during the day.

The allure of Zumba is derived in part from the perception that it’s more a dance party than an exercise routine. But its popularity has come at a price. Zumba classes can be enormous, filled with enthusiastic but inexperienced exercisers who may be led by instructors with limited experience.

Common Zumba Injuries

Ankle sprains, hamstring injuries, muscle spasms and calf injuries are the most common Zumba-related injuries being treated. Brief warm-ups and inexperienced exercisers can create unstable conditions. The classes are fast-paced and can be quite strenuous. Few participants leave without being drenched in sweat and at least a little bit out of breadth.

Preventative Measures when performing Zumba

Always consult a doctor before starting a new exercise regime. If you are pregnant or have a major cardiovascular, pulmonary or metabolic condition, traditional Zumba is probably not appropriate for you. People with knee, hip or ankle problems should also consult a doctor, as they may need to modify the routine – avoiding jumps, for instance, or fast hip movements.

Dr. Mark Reed offers this advice, “Zumba is a great way to increase your cardiovascular health while burning calories and having fun. If you have ankle instability or have been diagnosed with arthritis in your foot or ankle, you should be careful as many of the moves put stress on the ankle ligaments and can put pressure on the foot and ankle joints because of the impact.”

Wear the right shoes – Any thinly soled pair of sneakers or comfortable workout shoes will work well for your feet. Avoid running shoes as they are designed for forward movement and the treads get in the way when doing Zumba’s many side-to-side and pivot moves.

Before joining a Zumba class, ask how long the instructor has been teaching and about his or her background, including fitness certifications. The best instructors have a dance background and an understanding of Latin steps, as well as a strong background in fitness. Good instructors also will ask who is a beginner and whether anyone is pregnant or has special health concerns.

If your class doesn’t offer warm-up stretches and other moves, be sure to do some calf, hamstring and abdominal stretches on your own before you begin.

Move at your own pace, and don’t get too caught up in the whirlwind around you. The beauty of a dance class is that you can easily move in place or just do the basic moves while you become familiar with the more complicated dance steps.

If you believe you are suffering from a Zumba-related injury and need specialized orthopedic care, Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle provide excellent treatment options available for you.

Softball Pitchers’ Windmill Delivery Can Cause Injury

Softball pitching subjects the biceps to high forces and torques when the player’s arm swings around to release the ball. Published in the March 2009 issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, the study of the “windmill” pitching motion appears to explain the high incidence of anterior shoulder pain observed in female softball players.

In the study, seven women — three collegiate and four professional pitchers — underwent motion analysis and surface electromyography to evaluate the muscle firing pattern of their biceps in the course of a windmill pitch. Electromyography detects electrical potential generated by muscle cells when they contract.

The researchers found that even though the upper arm movement in both baseball and fast-pitch softball gives the ball about the same velocity, the muscle force during the windmill pitch was much higher, according to the press release.

Moreover, the maximum force, or maximum contraction, occurred not when the arm was cocked, as in baseball’s overhand pitching, but when the arm circled around from the 9 o’clock position (i.e. almost fully extended back) to the 6 o’clock position (i.e. perpendicular with the ground), completing the windmill motion with the release the ball.

In one case, a pitcher had ruptured her tendon during play, which implicated the long head of the biceps tendon as the source of stress. Female softball pitchers are prone to overuse injury not only because of windmill pitching dynamics, but also because they pitch so many games.

Common Softball Injuries

Common injuries in softball players include tendonitis, rotator cuff and tendon strain, and ulnar nerve damage, but there are also plaguing lower body injuries that affect softball pitchers. So what is the source of injury? In simplest terms, the hips provide the platform for the scapula, and the scapula is the platform for the shoulder. If there is dysfunction in that system, this leads to injury. If a pitcher complains of shoulder pain, the shoulder may not be at fault for the pain, but rather faulty mechanics in the lower body.

Many times, softball pitchers experience upper body injuries that may be a result of faulty lower body mechanics. Force is produced in the ground, transfers through the legs and torso, and finishes in the upper body. If something along those lines isn’t functioning properly, injury will present itself.

Anterior shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints among windmill pitchers. A typical overhand pitch sees around 108 degrees of motion, whereas the windmill pitch has around 360 degrees of motion; which is an increase in the eccentric action of the biceps.

Strength and conditioning for softball pitchers takes on a significant meaning because all of the energy is transferred from the ground up to the hand (the final point of contact with the ball) and pitch from a flat surface vs. baseball players who pitch off of a mound; this means that a softball pitcher would need to train in ground reaction-force, emphasizing gluteal exercises. Strong glutes will provide a strong base for the pelvis, then transferring energy through the core to the upper body.

When considering training regimens for windmill softball pitchers, much of the conditioning should focus on strengthening the lower extremity and lumbopelvic-hip complex. The lower extremities and lumbopelvic-hip musculature can often be addressed in the same exercises. Ideally, the lumbopelvic-hip complex should be addressed first in the training cycle in order to maintain a base of stability throughout all the conditioning exercises.

Dr. Shapiro states, “Warming up prior to the game and using the proper technique while playing will reduce the opportunity for injury; however, if you are experiencing pain this may be from overuse or an acute injury. It is best to seek medical attention and be evaluated by an Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialist.”

If you believe you are suffering from a softball-related injury and need specialized orthopedic care, Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle provide excellent treatment options available for you.

Rules to Get Fit for Runners

Spring-RunnerAs we thaw from this winter’s frost, our bodies will need to acclimate to warmer weather once again.

The warmth of spring is upon us, and once again it’s time to start gearing up for a refreshing change to the winter routines that have kept us cooped up with muscles creaking.

Even if you managed to remain active through trips to the gym; the prospect of getting outside and in the sun offers a range of new exercises that require preparation and training.

Prone to Injury

You may ask, “if I have maintained my exercises, why would I need any extra preparation?” The answer is that it’s specifically at the start of these new exercises that your body is most prone to injury.

As runners, think about the varied terrain and urban obstacles of jogging outdoors versus the treadmill’s regularity; now apply that same comparison to every gym exercise and the variables of its outdoor equivalent, from biking in the park to soccer on the grass.

Getting Back into Shape

The following are three important steps you should take to ensure that getting back into shape leaves you free from injury while offering the most beneficial takeaway of getting back into shape for spring.

  1. Take a moment to set a goal. Setting a goal helps propel yourself towards a specific aim, a simple enough idea which cannot be understated in its power to focus yourself on a reasonable achievement.
  2. Renew one of your new year’s resolutions or challenge yourself to meet or beat a pace that you haven’t quite kept up with over the past few years.
  3. More importantly, set up a log book to keep track of your times and achievements. Having a physical record of where you started with a means to your ends is paramount to meeting your goal.

Speaking of physical reminders, the change in season is the perfect opportunity to change your sneakers! Most dedicated running stores offer in-depth analyses of your feet and gait to make sure that you get the proper equipment. Think about marking your shoes with the date of purchase so you can keep tabs on when you got them so that you don’t keep using them after their time is up.

Dr. Mark Reed states, “With so many different running styles gaining popularity; selecting the shoe that fits your style is important. A properly fitted shoe will help protect against injury and may also enhance performance.”

You should also set up an appointment with your OSS physician to go over all the requisites, making sure to get the OK for the goals you’ve set for yourself before the start of new routines.

The simple act of updating your equipment and evaluating your physiology are powerful motivators for getting back in shape and keeping you injury free.

If you believe you are suffering from a running-related injury and need specialized orthopedic care, Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle provide excellent treatment options available for you.

2014 Sochi Olympic Injuries

sochi-injuries-sick-300x199The 2014 Sochi Olympics has had a fair share of injuries, none more so than the extreme sports that were added to the winter games as a way to attract a younger audience to watch and show interest in the Games.

OSS admires all the Olympians competing for the Gold as well as glory for their respective country; and as the final week rounds out this year’s Winter Olympics, we want to wish all the athletes who were involved in some kind of injury, a speedy recovery.

Sochi-Closing-Ceremony-300x225According to Dr. Charlie Peterson, “These events demonstrate that even at the elite level of competition, injuries are part of the game for all athletes. It re-emphasizes the need for maximum fitness and proper techniques and equipment to minimize the chance of injury, as well as the timely treatment of injuries when they occur.”

Here is a rundown of athletes and their injuries:

  • Ski-cross racer Maria Komissarova of Russia broke her spine during a practice run at the Extreme Park and is being treated in Munich after undergoing surgery in Krasnaya Polyana, the nearest town to the venue.
  • Canadian skier Yuki Tsubota suffered a mild concussion and a fractured cheekbone in a Feb. 11 crash during the women’s slopestyle event, where athletes soar and slide over obstacles before launching themselves off progressively larger jumps. The 20-year-old landed short and was taken off the course on a stretcher. She has returned home to see if she needs surgery.
  • During the women’s snowboard cross event on Feb. 16, Jacqueline Hernandez of the U.S. was carried off after she banged her head, as was Norway’s Helene Olafsen with a knee injury.
  • Islanders star John Tavares is out for the season after suffering a left knee injury in Team Canada’s win over Latvia on February 18.
  • Bode Miller owns a U.S.-record six Olympic Alpine medals, including a bronze in the super-G from last weekend that made him the oldest ski racer to win a Winter Games medal. He said Wednesday, February 18 that his knee bothered him after that race, and it’s been swollen during the Sochi Olympics.
  • Heidi Kloser of Vail injures right knee in crash, out of Sochi Olympic moguls