Pediatricians confirm enormous value of athletic trainers at high schools

Two weeks ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics' annual membership meeting in New Orleans featured a position statement, reported on in this space at the time, on cheerleader safety.

John Doherty: Video views verify hits' hurts and healing

INDIANAPOLIS | It was the talk of the Indiana Athletic Trainers' Association's annual fall meeting on Saturday evening, here. The “it” was the right knee injury suffered by South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore.

John Doherty: Heady times across sports spectrum

It doesn't seem to matter where you are or what sport holds your interest, there's no escaping the controversy of concussion.

JOHN DOHERTY: Greenberg's dream emerges from moonlight of concussion

Field of Dreams is one of this native Bostonian's favorite movies. And not because main character Ray Kinsella of Iowa drives cross-country to Fenway Park — essentially bypassing Wrigley Field — to find the meaning of the messages he hears from “the voice.”

JOHN DOHERTY: ESPN football series a puzzle whose pieces don't fit

Last week, ESPN presented a “cross-platform” series entitled “Football at a Crossroads.” Using its broadcasts, webpage, and magazines, the sports media giant attempted to examine health issues at all levels of the sport.

Numbing tale worth circulating

When I looked up the story, I couldn't believe it occurred so long ago. However, it is worth retelling. And New York Met pitcher Dillon Gee can probably credit the story and Major League Baseball's devotion to history with saving his arm if not his life.

Is your school ready for the new concussion law?

It may be hard to believe on this relatively early date in July but the fall high school sports season in Indiana starts in just 20 days. Illinois will follow suit 10 days later.

JOHN DOHERTY: Getting to the heart of screening questions

Last month, 2011 Hobart High School graduate Sam Moore, who played football and baseball for the Brickies, collapsed while jogging and could not be revived. In March, Lincoln-Way High School senior baseball player Tom Schuman of New Lenox died in his sleep.

Conditioning sessions for improving life, not ending it

ST. LOUIS | The National Athletic Trainers’ Association used its 63rd annual meeting, here last week, as the venue for the release of an inter-association consensus statement on “Preventing Sudden Death in Collegiate Conditioning Sessions.”

JOHN DOHERTY: Single kidney not double trouble

The conventional wisdom, when I was a younger athletic trainer, had been not to allow young athletes with only one working kidney to play in collision/contact sports.

Doherty column: Do ultra-endurance sports fit the heart?

Dr. Ken Cooper is referred to as the “Father of Aerobics,” thanks to his work with NASA, the United States Air Force, and his own Cooper Institute, founded in 1970.

Bulls timing it right with Rose

Last week, Knicks rookie guard Iman Shumpert had the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee reconstructed. That's the same ligament, in the same knee, torn on the same day as Bulls guard Derrick Rose.

Rose a crucial loss on real balance sheet

Let's get this out of the way right away. Those of you blaming Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau for Derrick Rose's injury, just stop. There was still more than 1:20 to play, and with the NBA's 24-second shot clock, a 76ers comeback from 12 down on Saturday wasn't bloody likely but it wasn't im…

No equality in overuse

The universally dreaded anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury — and how women are more likely to suffer one — was covered in this space last week.

JOHN DOHERTY: Remembering an anniversary we can't afford to forget

It's not that far away -- in miles or time passed. Perhaps you remember but if you don't, Fennville, Mich., is just 120 miles from here, a two hour ride, tracing the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan.

JOHN DOHERTY: It's official: Referees required

On Nov. 18, 1994, referee Paul Danko collapsed during the Munster Basketball O'Rama. And despite the best efforts of athletic trainer Jose Madrigal, medical professionals in the crowd and responding paramedics, the Calumet Region officiating giant could not be resuscitated.

Where do we head next?

Last week was not a good one for football, hockey, and soccer - at least when it comes to news reports regarding the safety of those games.

Short preseason will reveal NBA's achilles heel

Lament ye not Bears fans, over running back Matt Forte's knee injury. Nobody likes losing their star tailback — or their quarterback for that matter — but as Bears head coach Lovie Smith said matter-of-factly on Sunday, it's "part of the game."

NSAIDs: Not Smart Addition in Defense against pain

Last week I decried the use of caffeine — or any other stimulant — as a performance enhancer. Much the same can be said for another class of drugs which many may not think of as enhancing performance. However, that is precisely the way these drugs are used all too often.

JOHN DOHERTY: Thinking through theories on Theo

Before going any further, let me make one thing clear. Theo Epstein was a far more successful general manager than Jim Hendry.

JOHN DOHERTY: When to reture is up in the air

Over the weekend, Army beat Northwestern 21-14; Navy gave South Carolina all it could handle before falling 24-21; and Air Force was idle.

ACL-U

Purdue University athletes suffered a rash of anterior cruciate ligament injuries during the 2010-11 school year. The Boilermakers subsequently terminated their strength and conditioning staff, replacing three full-time coaches with nine.

Mental health sometimes fragile in strongest athletes

On Friday, we saw two of Chicago's sports sons -- one adopted, one native -- come unraveled.

Events outpacing plans for concussion monitoring

A bill sits on Gov. Pat Quinn's desk in Illinois, awaiting his signature, which will compel all schools offering interscholastic sports to follow IHSA rules regarding concussion.

JOHN DOHERTY: PBS program stepped back by putting story ahead of facts

It is an old adage and Mark Twain is largely credited with having said: "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story."

Seattle supreme in survival from SCA

First Wes Leonard, 16, playing basketball in Fennville, Mich., on March 3, and then, just two days later, Matthew Hammerdorfer, 17, playing rugby in Ft. Collins, Colo.

JOHN DOHERTY: Rose adds spice to ulcer story

Derrick Rose is having quite the season. Seventh in the league in scoring (24.4 ppg) and 10th in assists (8.1 apg), he has lead the Bulls to the best record in the Central Division at 33-14. With a lead of 13 games over the Bucks, it is unlikely the Bulls will finish anywhere but first.

DOHERTY: Gifts worth remembering

Hard to believe it's been 16 years since legendary Calumet Region referee Paul Danko passed away while officiating a high school basketball-o'rama.

JOHN DOHERTY: With heat on, football needs cool Brees

Cool Brees

John Doherty: No Arguing That These Rules Save Money

Both sides of the health care reform debate are in agreement on one point: costs are out of control.

JOHN DOHERTY: No liberty in being ACL U

In the short span of just two months, Purdue University has become the hub of the sports medicine universe.

JOHN DOHERTY: No escaping concussion issue

Now I know how Michael Corleone felt in The Godfather: Part III. Referring to his unsuccessful efforts to change, he said, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."

JOHN DOHERTY: Unhealthy coach can't care for team

With all the years I've spent on a football sideline, I've become pretty good at reading a coach's body language and conduct.

JOHN DOHERTY: Youth sports safety miles away

While the national media -- the New York Times in particular -- have been beating up on football -- the NFL in particular, the National Youth Sports Safety Alliance (NYSSA) has been taking a more level-headed approach.

JOHN DOHERTY: Munster's Fisher: Leach crossed the line

Since I started occupying this space 25 years ago, I've received the occasional complaint that a particular column was too much about sports and not enough about medicine or vice versa.

Red Sox more desperate than our own

At the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox led the AL East by three games.

Local spice added to anti-steroid program

When Old Spice and the Butkus Foundation kicked off their "I Play Clean" campaign last July at Soldier Field, 500 high school football players were there to sign the "I Play Clean Pledge," promising to train hard, eat well and not use illegal steroids.

Phony energy causes real crash later

Homeostasis. A big word but it describes a simple concept.

Smokeless tobacco still playing with fire

ANALYSIS | DIPPING IN BASEBALL

More than name to Lou Gehrig's Disease and sports link?

In the 65 years since Lou Gehrig's death from the disease which now bears his name, a cure has remained elusive. However, researchers have a better idea of who is likely to get it.

ALS and sports forever linked

Today, John Doherty starts a multi-part series on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Gordon's energy best kept on the floor

Last week, H3Enterprises, Inc. of New York announced in a press release, "the signing of an Exclusive Agreement with rising NBA star Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls which includes the development and marketing of a white tea based energy drink called 'BG7', a healthy cutting-edge high octane…

Heart test offers passing grade

Walking into the still-darkened gym at Munster High School early one morning, a week ago today, I bumped into former Munster School Board member Larry Kocal. He was walking the track and had already read my column that day and agreed that heart-related illness and death had dominated the spo…

AED Objections? Objections denied

When talking to a decision-maker about purchasing an automated external defibrillator for his facility, I hear several objections. The AED will increase liability risk; the police/paramedics are only two minutes away; they'd like to but the unit and training will cost too much.

Not having AED is highly irregular

This column runs only once a week but of late it seems the entire sports section has become a daily medical journal -- one for cardiology in particular.

Too high a price

Over the last few weeks, since the start of school, I've talked to several high school students interested in a career in sports medicine. And being typically teenaged ambitious, most of them have expressed a desire to follow a career-path to the pros. After all, that's where the big money is.

Some shockers not as new as others

Thanks to May being a ratings sweeps month, there were some worthwhile special segments on local television news last week. On the same night, we found out from WLS-TV (Ch. 7's) Ron Magers and WBBM-TV (Ch. 2's) Dr. Michael Breen, respectively, that automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) wo…

I told you so

I'm usually not an "I told you so" type of guy, but for the past 31 days, it was National Athletic Training month. So, here's a look back at some previously stated opinions from this athletic trainer that have drawn fire but were proven correct as winter officially changed to spring.