Carrie A. Jaworski

Medical concerns of marathons.

One must remember that the first marathon runner, Phidippides, collapsed and died at the finish of his race. Fortunately, death has been an infrequent occurrence in modern day marathons. However, the physical exertion required to complete a marathon coupled with exposure to often harsh environmental conditions and an increase in the number of novice participants makes injuries inevitable. The medical team’s main goal is to implement strategies to prevent serious injury and illness through pre-event planning, race day preparedness, and postevent evaluations. The three general categories of injuries encountered with marathon participation include medical conditions, musculoskeletal injuries, and dermatologic complaints. The focus of this article is on the evaluation and management of the varied medical concerns encountered on race day along with the essentials in prerace planning and preparedness.

Rehabilitation of the Wrist and Hand Following Sports Injury

In sports, wrist and hand injuries are commonplace. Too often, injuries to these areas can be under-treated and left for further complications to arise. While some injuries to the wrist and hand can be treated conservatively with immediate return to play, others require a more in-depth assessment prior to return to play. This article describes the most common wrist and hand injuries in sport, and provides information related to current treatment approaches.

Preparing for the surge: perspectives on marathon medical preparedness.

In preparing for medical coverage of a mass participation event such as a marathon, race directors and their medical staff members need to account for the unexpected. Extremes in weather as well as the potential for outside threats need to be given consideration before race day in order to adequately prepare. Through the recruitment of local expertise from various agencies in ones community during both the planning stages, and on race day, the added stressors of such extremes will be minimized, if not eliminated. This article will provide concrete examples of how the Chicago Marathon has used its own experiences with such extremes. Readers will be given useful tools to implement in their own marathons or other mass participation events-planning to equip them better for the unexpected surge.

Lack of Awareness of Fluid Needs Among Participants at a Midwest Marathon

Background: Marathon running has become popular, particularly among inexperienced runners. Hypothesis: Many marathoners are inexperienced and lack concern for potential complications of marathon running. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: In sum, 419 runners completed a survey on a variety of topics regarding training for a marathon and hydration strategies. Results: Overall, 211 females (38.3 ± 9.1 years old) and 208 males (41.6 ± 11.0 years old) participated. They trained for 6.8 ± 4.3 months and had run for 9.8 ± 9.1 years; 33.5% had no marathon experience and 16.9% had run 1 marathon. Of the injuries reported, 77.6% and 72.9% were minor musculoskeletal injuries during the current and previous running seasons, respectively. Of the 278 runners who had run a marathon, 54 (19.0%) had been treated in the medical tent, 31.5% of whom for dehydration. Furthermore, 54.9% and 64.3% of the survey participants were “not at all” concerned with musculoskeletal injury and hyponatremia, respectively. Also, 88.7% did not know their sweat rate; 67.8% did not weigh themselves; and 81.3% had no other method of hydration assessment. No significant correlations were found between concern for hyponatremia and age, sex, or experience. Conclusions: Most participants were inexperienced, lacked concern for injury or hyponatremia, and were not using methods of hydration assessment.

On thin ice: preparing and caring for the ice skater during competition.

The competitive sport of figure skating has changed in many ways over the last few decades with the advent of increasingly difficult programs, the additions of new disciplines within the sport, and changes to the types of injuries seen. With increased numbers of participants, there is more need for medical coverage at many skating events throughout the country. The sports medicine physician responsible for the care of skaters at a competition will need a working knowledge of the basics of skating and the injuries these athletes sustain in order to provide exceptional care to the skaters. This article reviews the basics of figure skating along with the common injuries and medical conditions often experienced by figure skaters to allow a physician to feel comfortable dealing with potential rinkside emergencies and issues. It also provides guidance on the preparation required to provide medical coverage at an ice skating competition.