04-02 - Tennis - Rafael Nadal makes his return to Wimbledon

Known as the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has always been held at the All England Club since 1877. The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July. There are various main events, but the two most intriguing are the "Gentlemen's Singles" and the "Ladies' Singles". Barring any injuries, all of the top-seeded tennis athletes in the world participate in this 1 of 4 Grand Slam event. (128 players participate in each individual event) I'll list some creative / longstanding traditions associated with Wimbledon:

Colours and Uniforms:

- Dark green and purple are the traditional Wimbledon colours

- All tennis players participating in the tournament are required to wear all white, or almost all white

Royal Family:

- Players are only required to bow or curtsy on if Her Majesty "the Queen" or "the Prince of Wales" is present. (the Queen was in attendance at this years Wimbledon match on June 24, 2010

Trophies and Prize Money:

- The Gentlemen's Singles Champion receives a silver gilt cup that is 18.5 inches in height and 7.5 inches in diameter. This trophy has been awarded since 1887 and bears the inscription: "All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World."

- The Ladies' Singles Champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish". The salver, which is 18.75 inches in diameter, is decorated with figures from mythology.





This year marks the return of Rafael Nadal (Spain), currently ranked #1 in the world, who has sat out last years tournament due to a knee injury. Rafael Nadal has been playing tennis since the age of three. He broke onto the professional scene at the age of sixteen, breaking numerous records along the way. His playing style is generally aggressive based on heavy topspin groundstrokes, consistency, footwork and unbelievable court coverage. He is considered to be one of the best baseliner tennis professional in the game today. With two Grand Slam titles and numerous ATP Master Series / ATP Tour titles under his belt, he definitely has potential to surpass Roger Federer and many others as one of the best of All-Time.
The only negative aspect of his career has been the nagging knee injuries that has recently escalated to the surface. During the 2009 Wimbledon trials, Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw due to tendinitis of his right knee. This specific injury stemmed from a previous knee injury. Earlier in the year, he damaged the tendons around the knee area and since then he has been diagnosed with tendinitis in both quadriceps tendons as well as a small amount of fluid on the kneecaps. Despite all of these diagnoses, he has publicly stated that these injuries, however painful, are not career threatening.

What is knee-tendinitis?: ( Weblink )
- it is an inflammation of the tendons in the knee. The most common type of knee tendinitis is patellar tendinitis, which involves the tendon below the kneecap.

Symptoms of knee-tendinitis:
- knee pain that worsens with movement, climbing and jumping
- swelling, warmth and tenderness over the tendon

Treatment of knee-tendinitis:
- rest, cold compresses, elevation, an elastic wrap and physical therapy
- also used are anti-inflammatory medication

Recovery time:
- Tendinitis recovery will vary on alot of factors: age of patient, seriousness of the injury/tendon, availability of medical services /treatment

Prevention:

1. Warm UP properly - practice small movements to warm up the body or the area that will be exerting the most force


2. Avoid activities that can cause pain


3. Always provide the body with enough rest and recovery (I like to use protein shakes as a good source of recovery / pre-workout sources)


4. Balancing exercises - I see too many weight lifters focusing on building their biceps, so they do hammer / barbell curls all day long, this can cause severe stress to the elbow joints


5. Footwear - "Its gotta be the shoes.."


6. Strapping - taping or utilizing knee support braces will add another layer of support for weak or injured knees

04-01 - NFL - Promising young Running Back sheds light on huge flaw with professional sports...

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- a form of degenerative brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head, has been recently linked to the death of a young NFL wide-receiver. With only 5 professional years under his belt, Cincinatti wide-receiver Chris Henry, died of a traffic accident. Upon further review of his autopsy, it was found that he had the illness known as CTE. Researchers / Doctors have now found more than 50 cases of CTE in the deceased bodies of professional athletes in various sports. (NFL, College, Wrestling, etc..)


CNN coverage on CTE and its effect on NFL players:







What is CTE?: (WebLink)

- Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a disease of the brain believed to be caused by repeated head trauma resulting in large accumulations of tau proteins, killing cells in regions responsible for mood, emotions, and executive functioning

Common symptoms:

• Memory impairment
• Dementia
• Emotional instability
• Erratic behavior
• Depression
• Problems with impulse control

Causes of CTE:
The condition is caused by repeated concussive and sub-concussive blows (blows that are below the threshold of force necessary to cause concussion)targeted at the brain region.

03-03 - World Cup - Team USA vs. Ghana!

With a huge momentum going into the "knockout stage", Team USA has a great advantage on advancing past Team Ghana. Unfortunately for Team Ghana, they have a key-piece that is out with an injury. Their star mid-fielder and team captain Michael Essien, who is ranked as one of the best in the world, is out with a knee-injury. (knees are pretty much the bread & butter for soccer athletes)

The injury sustained by Michael Essien seems to be related to a tear in his meniscus. (I blogged on everything about meniscus tears' here: Blog: 01-01 ) All of this happened during a World Cup qualifying match against Libya. (He has previously suffered another knee injury (torn ACL) during the World Cup qualifiers in 2008)

It is not a surprise to see Team Ghana back in the mix of things, as they had successfully advanced out of the "Group Round" by defeating the US team by a score of 2-1 in 2006. So with history on Team Ghana's side, the US team has to dig so much more for this win. (There are six players that will be playing this weekend, that have played against the US back in 2006.)

Here are the key lineups for this spectacular matchup:

Team USA:

Goalkeeper: Tim Howard

Defenders: Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Johnathan Bornstein

Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey

Forwards: Robbie Findley, Jozy Altidore

Team Ghana:

Goalkeeper: Richard Kingson

Defenders: Hans Sarpei, John Pantsil, John Mensah, Samuel Inkoom, Johnathan Mensah

Midfielders: Anthony Annan, Andre Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah

Forwards: Asamoah Gyan, Kevin Prince Boateng

03-02 - NFL - Redskin Nation.. prepare for the return of Chris Cooley!

Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley broke his right ankle in a Monday-night showdown with division rival "Philadelphia Eagles". He missed the rest of the games during the 2009 season. (up to this point, he hasn't missed a game in 6 years)


Coming off of two-straight years where he has been selected to the Pro-Bowl, Chris Cooley was on pace for another stellar year. This injury comes as a serious blow to the Redskins at a very crucial point of the season. (They were 2-5 at the time, right before their bye week.) Not only does this injury hurt the offensive schema for the skins.. it also hurts Fantasy Football owners across the nation. (Chris Cooley was a top 3 rated TE at this time)


Knowing the important role that Chris Cooley plays for the team, the Redskins promptly initated an examination and a treatment process. #47 Chris Cooley went under the knife on October 28, 2009, only 2 days after he initially injured his ankle. The following x-ray shows the three screws that were used to stabilize the broken ankle. (courtesy of T.Cooley)





Ankle Injuries: (AAFP article on ankle injuries)

Prevention:

	The most preferred method is to tape the ankle before the sporting event
	It has been studied that high-top sneakers don't do a great deal of preventing ankle injuries, but the mental re-assurance that it provides is enough for athletes to buy in
	Semi-rigid orthoses may be most effective in preventing re-injury in athletes with a previous ankle injury

Table that displays more in depth information on medical procedure and recovery time:

Year:	Procedure:	Recovery Time:
Present Day Procedure	Details related to Chris Cooleys' injury: 5 punctures through the ankle to allow 3 hollow tubes through the fractured tibia were successfully done	He was suspected to be back in playing condition after only 4 weeks. Coach Zorn decided to put him on IR, forcing him to use the rest of the season to recover.

03-01 - NBA - Larry Bird - the legacy should've continued.

This entry will focus on Hall-of-Famer, Larry Bird, who could've achieved so much more with his career, but was abruptly cut short due to nagging and painful injuries.

Larry Joe Bird is credited with being one of the best shooters in the history of the NBA. He was named ROOKIE of the YEAR, beating out another all-time great, Earvin Magic Johnson. That same year he also achieved another feat by making it on the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team. This proved to be the 1st of many All-Star achievements, as he would make the team for his entire 12-year NBA professional career. During his career, Larry Bird notched 3 NBA championship titles all with the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, due to a herniated disc, he would be seen taking more time on the bench and eventually being forced into retirement.

Herniated Disc: (WebMD Article)

What is a herniated disc?

The bones (vertebrae) that form the spine in your back are cushioned by small, spongy discs. When these discs are healthy, they act as shock absorbers for the spine and keep the spine flexible. But when a disc is damaged, it may bulge or break open. This is called a herniated disc. It may also be called a slipped or ruptured disc.

Causes & Symptoms

Most types of herniated discs are caused by:

• Wear and tear on your spinal region. (As you age, the discs in your spinal cord tend to dry out and are not as flexible any longer)


• Certain injuries to the spine may cause ruptures of the disc, causing the gel like material to leak and not provide a cushioned support.

Table that displays more in depth information on medical procedure and recovery time:

Year:	Procedure:	Recovery Time:
Present Day Procedure	MICRODISCECTOMIES = the removal of just the injured part of the spinal disc, are becoming less invasive and better at alleviating the pain of pinched nerves. Doctors are also testing ceramic and metal-allow prostetic discs to replace and even enhance the cushioning that is lost through age and overuse.	Recovery time has been greatly reduced. From a few months to a year for more serious injuries.
Vintage Medical Procedure	Full or partial removal of the disc or vertebral bone	Six months to Career-Ending

02-03 - NFL - Torn ACLs are the DEVIL!

If things couldn't get any better for the Washington Redskins, one of their key division rivals, the New York Giants, received gut-wrenching news today. Their stud "kick-returner" and "wide-receiver" Domenik Hixon, will be out with a season-ending knee injury. (torn ACL) All of this happened during their 1st week of team practices. NY Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, didn't really expect the young star to have this serious of an injury. He was even able to walk off of the field under his own strength. MRI tests later show that it was indeed a serious injury. The normal recovery time for this type of surgery is a minimum of one year.


Lets get to the nitty gritty! I'll list the medical procedure, details of the injury and previous recovery methods that were utilized in years' past.


What is an ACL? = The Anterior Cruciate Ligament is one of the most important of four strong ligaments that connect the bones of the knee joint. It functions to provide stability and to also minimize stress across the knee joints. For further details, please visit e-healthMD.com



Most ACL tears occur due to a sporting-related mishap. And about 80% of all sporting-related ACL tears happen from "non-contact" events. (i.e. jumping / landing, sudden twist or pivoting)

Some signs of an ACL tear: affected knee is unable to freely support / stabilize your body, victim distinctly feeling a "pop" inside of their knee at time of mishap and/or pain or swelling around the kneecap area.

Table that displays more in depth information on medical procedure and recovery time:

Year:	Procedure:	Recovery Time:
Present Day	The usual surgery for an ACL tear is called an ACL reconstruction. A repair of the ligament is rarely a possibility, and thus the ligament is reconstructed using another tendon or ligament to substitute for the torn ligament.	Repair, Rebuild and Renew - all of this equates to a minimum of 1 year of solid physical therapy
1995	Bernard King was the first NBA player to tear his ACL and return to near the same performance level after his 1995 surgery.	minimum of 1 year of rehab
Pre-1995	Torn-ACL's were considered career ending	Career-Ending

02-02 - World Cup 2010 - Drogba - the SOUL of the Ivory Coast team suffers an elbow injury during World Cup scrimmage

Didier Drogba was five years old when he left his home town of Côte d'Ivoire to live and train with his uncle, in a small French town called Brest. After polishing his game in various youth leagues, Didier Drogba signed a professional contract at the age of 18. (Ligue 2 club Le Mans) With a few ups and downs, he had a few stints with various teams. During 2004, Didier Drogba was signed to an unprecedented £24 million (roughly 29.4 million US dollars) contract with Chelsea Football Club, which made him the most prevalent Côte d'Ivoire soccer player in history. This union of Drogba and Chelsea F.C. seemed to benefit both parties. In 2005, he helped lead Chelsea F.C. to their first ever Premier League title and followed up the next year with another league title. With numerous championships and titles, no other accolade is as important for Drogba as being the Captain of his national team during the 2006 World Cup. (Côte d'Ivoire) He has also been credited with initiating peace in his country. After a remarkable qualifying round in the 2006 World Cup, Drogba pleaded with his fellow countrymen to lay down their arms. Subsequently his pleas were answered and a cease-fire was established after a long and arduous 5 years of Civil War. His involvement in the peace process lead to Drogba being named as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine.

Didier Drogba rejoins his Ivory Coast teammates for yet another run in the 2010 World Cup. Unfortunately, Drogba suffered a broken arm during a World Cup warm-up match. This damaging injury dashed all hopes of him even playing in this years' World Cup competition. The initial media reports backed this presumption, but there has been other reports that state he could be back within 10 days. I will take a closer look at this injury and the surgical procedure that was done.

Friday June 4, 2010 - Didier Drogba collides with Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Japanese Defender) and suffers a broken arm

- Further medical tests show that he has a fractured ulna in his right forearm

Saturday June 5, 2010 - Drogba was admitted to the Lindenhof hospital in Berne

The following is a PRESS RELEASE, provided by the Ivory Coast National team:

Press Release

Following the fracture of the ulna which Didier Drogba suffered in the international friendly between Japan and the Ivory Coast, on June 4 in Sion, the national team captain was today, Saturday June 5, admitted to the Lindenhof hospital in Berne.

He was taken care of by Professors Ralph Hertel and Michel Gaillot, eminent specialists in their area.

The surgical operation which was necessitated by his condition was performed with success.

Professors Hertel and Gaillot, as well as the Elephants' medical staff, are confident regarding the speedy recovery of the player.

The FIF thank the sporting world and all those in the Ivory Coast, in Africa and throughout the world who have shown their support to Didier Drogba and the Ivory Coast.

There has been no definite time on when the international superstar will be eligible to return, but the medical staff has stated that they will be checking his condition on a day-to-day basis. They are hopeful that Drogba should be available in the Ivory Coasts' opening match on June 13, 2010 versus Portugal.

02-01 - NFL - Brett Favre survives ankle surgery for the 3rd time!

Amazingly Brett Favre is heading back to the NFL for another season. (This will be an unprecedented 20th year for the aging NFL quarterback!) I don't think it was a surprise to anyone who has watched professional football in recent years. Last year, Brett Favre "willed" the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game. (vs. the New Orleans Saints) Favre, at the age of 40, was instrumental in leading the team into the end-zone for offensive points, but unfortunately was also the reason the Saints had any hopes of winning this game. As the regulation clock was winding down, Brett Favre over-confident as ever, rolled to the right as a hole opened up, but instead of running for it he threw the football across his body that was then intercepted by a Saints' defensiveman. This outcome forced the game into overtime and New Orleans' seized the opportunity and won the NFC Championship game.

Brett Favre did not show any signs of aging. He had one of the his BEST NFL years' at the dinosaur age of 40 years. His statistics for some of the best seasons over his career are as follows: (Career-Stats)

Season	Team	Yds	TD	Int	Rating
2009	Minnesota Vikings	4,202	33	7	107.2
2007	Green Bay Packers	4,155	28	15	95.7
1997	Green Bay Packers	3,867	35	16	92.6
**Notes** 2009 - Brett Favre comes back from his "2nd retirement" to pass in one of his career best seasons. 2007 - Brett Favre throws for 4,155 yards in his last season as a Green Bay Packer. He was "let go" by the Packer Front Office for a rising young star. (Aaron Rodgers) 1997 - The year that Brett Favre wins his only NFL Championship.

Having survived numerous injuries over the course of his career, Brett Favre has achieved another monumental feat. He has started in 285 consecutive games as an NFL quarterback. Brett Favre's latest surgery (ankle) will allow him to hopefully fix a nagging injury that has plagued him throughout his career. I'll run through and list a timeline of just his ankle injuries: (Full-List)

February 27, 1996
December 18, 2002
September 07, 2005
November 15, 2006
September 26, 2008
October 09, 2009

Interesting Nugget:

Brett Favre developed an addiction to painkillers. While recovering from his 1st ankle surgery in a Green Bay hospital, Favre suffered a seizure. He later admitted that he was addicted to painkillers and voluntarily entered himself into a substance-abuse program. At a press conference, for going public with his addiction, Brett Favre is quoted as saying, "I'm 26 years old, I just threw 38 touchdown passes in one year, and I'm the NFL MVP." "People look at me and say, I'd love to be that guy. 'But if they knew what it took to be that guy, they wouldn't love to be him, I can guarantee you that. I'm entering a treatment center tomorrow. Would they love that?"

01-03 - MLB - Another blow to the Nationals' lineup...

Nationals rookie pitcher, Jordan Zimmerman, has blown out his throwing elbow and will require a ligament-replacement procedure. In other sporting terms, this is also called Tommy John surgery. ( More information about Tommy John surgery)


All of this happened from soreness of his elbow. He was then placed on a 15-day disabled list, with high hopes of returning 100% later in the season. Shortly after rehab began, the pain and discomfort continued to ail the pitcher. Taking no chances, the Washington Nationals organization, immediately ordered an MRI and subsequently it was determined that a ligament in Zimmermann's elbow would need replacing.

Before the "Tommy John surgery" procedure was utilized, these particular injuries were considered career killers for professional baseball pitchers / athletes. With advances in medical technology, Zimmerman and Nationals' fans can expect to see the pitcher back in full "pitch" in 18-months.

Definition:
Tommy John surgery is a surgical reconstruction of elbow ligaments that are often torn in baseball pitchers.
Tommy John was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1970s. In 1974, he was having one of his career best seasons (13-3), when he permanently damaged his right elbow. (ulnar collateral ligament) Which then lead to a revolutionary surgical operation. (now named after him) His operational procedure utilized the intact tendon from his non-pitching arm to replace the damaged ligament in his pitching arm. After surgery, Tommy John, had to wait a full year to recover from surgery. The following year in 1976, he returned and pitched a 10-10 season. Most baseball historians claimed this feat as miraculous.

Procedure:
Table that displays more indepth information on medical procedure and recovery time:

Year:	Procedure:	Recovery Time:
2010	After the tendon from the forearm of the same or opposite elbow or below the knee is harvested it is then woven in a figure-eight pattern through tunnels that have been drilled in the ulna and humerus bone that are part of the elbow joint.	16-18 months after surgery
Pre-1974 (Tommy John Surgery)	There were no procedures available at this time to cure this ailment.	Career Ending

01-02 - NBA - Another crucial injury right before the launch of the NBA Finals...

On the eve of the most important series of his career, Boston Celtics' reserve big man, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, will be sitting out a few games with a concussion. The concussion resulted from a collision with the elbow of Orlando Magics' superstar, Dwight Howard. The hit clearly affected Davis, who was unable to hustle back down the floor, at times staggering and completely unaware of his surroundings. He eventually stumbled his way to a referee, who could barely hold up the 6'9", 289 lb Davis.

Here is a small clip of the incident: (PG-13) [fast-forward to the 1:00 minute mark]

Suprisingly, the medical staff for the Boston Celtics has cleared him to play on Friday! (after suffering the concussion on Wednesday night) The head coach of the Celtics is quoted as saying, "I think part of it is we don't have the same rules as football, where they wear helmets and hit each other. Hopefully, he's not going to be hit in the head again.." Lets hope and pray he doesn't get bumped in the head again...

Medical Explanation: (WebMD Article on Concussions)
What is a concussion? A concussion is a brain-injury that is caused by a bold blow to the head or body. The blow can interrupt the natural functions that the brain is responsible for; motor-skills, speech, thought process and awareness. Some common names are: mild-head injury (MHI), minor head trauma, mild-traumatic brain injury.

Some common symptoms:

• Passing out
• Not being able to remember what happened after the injury
• Acting confused, slurring words, incoherent babbling
• Not being able to walk or stand, coordination is severely off
• Feeling nauseous or light-headed

Table that displays more indepth information on medical procedure and recovery time:

Year:	Procedure:	Recovery Time:
2010	Most Doctors will prescribe rest. Take it easy throughout the day and get plenty of sleep at night.	1-2 hours - weeks and sometimes months

01-01 - NBA - Lakers' Andrew Bynum has knee drained before critical game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Los Angeles Lakers' center Andrew Bynum has been diagnosed with a small tear in his meniscus, this injury was discovered in the opening round against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (2010) Adding to his warrior mentality, he has started all of the Lakers 16 post-season games thus far, but is only averaging 24 minutes per game.
Along with the tear, swelling has occurred in the area. When asked about having his knee drained on Monday, Bynum was quoted as saying, "It didn't really help," "As soon as I drained it, about 12 hours later all the fluid came back."

I'm hoping he doesn't push it to hard. He is currently in his fourth year of the NBA and has already collected a championship ring. The Lakers are meeting up with a proven Boston Celtics team in this years NBA Finals matchup. This will be the second time they meet in a three year span, the first was from 2008. (in which Boston dominated the Lakers)

Here are some medical facts about his injury: Orthopedics Article
Meniscus - functions to distribute your body weight across the knee joint. Without the meniscus present, the weight of your body would be unevenly applied to the bones in your legs (the femur and tibia). This uneven weight distribution would cause excessive forces in specific areas of bone leading to early arthritis of knee joints.


Some common symptoms of a meniscus tear:

• Knee Pain
• Swelling of the knee
• Tenderness when pressing on the meniscus
• Popping or clicking within the knee
• Limited motion of the knee joint

Table that displays more indepth information on medical procedure and recovery time:

Year:	Procedure:	Recovery Time:
2010	X-rays and MRIs are the two tests commonly used in patients who have meniscus tears. An x-ray can be used to determine if there is evidence of degenerative or arthritic changes to the knee joint. The MRI is helpful at actually visualizing the meniscus. Treatment of meniscus tears depends on several factors, as not all meniscus tears require surgery.	4-8 weeks after surgery