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Published on: 7/20/2001
Last Visited: 7/20/2001
My name is Kevin McMahon.I am an Orthopedic Surgeon practicing in Montgomery and Howard Counties.My practice mainly involves sports medicine and adult reconstructive surgery.I have been a team physician for over fifteen years taking care of both high school and college athletes.I will be answering questions on the following topics in this discussion :.
Strength Training in the Young Athlete
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Dr. McMahon is currently the Chief of Surgery at Montgomery General Hospital.He was also chief of Orthopedic Surgery from 1995 to 1999.He received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University and earned his medical degree from Georgetown University.He completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery , Dr. McMahon is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American College of Surgery.Kevin McMahon is the recipient of numerous awards and has written publications for his expertise in the field of Orthopedic Surgery.He also presents locally and nationally.
The information exchanged during this forum is for informational purposes only.
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href= > Omid Jahanbin - Moderator : Dr. McMahon , I'd really like to take a moment and thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule and answer our viewers questions during this session.If our viewers have any questions they would like to ask of you after the end of this event , how can they get in touch with you.Thanks again.
Dr. McMahon : Omid ,
You're welcome.I was very happy to take questions today.My office number at Potomac Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is 301-774-0500.Thank you.
href= > David- Landover , MD : Hello Dr. McMahon.My niece injured her knee doing hurdles in Gym class about two years ago.
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Dr. McMahon : David ,
I would be very surprised if her doctor said she needed a knee replacement.Perhaps he stated that she may need a ligament reconstruction.It would be unusual to need a knee replacement in your early 20's.Sometimes when 13 year olds need ligament reconstructions , and their growth plates are open , we wait until they have matured.I suggest you get a second opinion.
href= > Jody , Silver Spring : Dr. McMahon ,
I have a 4th grade daughter and a 5th grade son that both play soccer and basketball.Is there any activity better than another for keeping them fit between seasons.
Thank you
Dr. McMahon : Jody ,
It is my recommendation that you do not get caught up in the single sport syndrome- where your sons and daughters play one sport year round.It is great that they're playing both soccer and basketball , and it would be my recommendation to prevent burn-out that they play games or another sport in a non-competitive , relaxed way.Thank you.
href= > Mary : Reston , Virginia : My son is 16 years old and started lifting weights about six months ago.Now he has started taking large amounts of Protein Power to supposedly help him build muscle.
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Thank you Dr. McMahon.
Dr. McMahon : Mary ,
We're going to take about Creatine , beacuse this is the most common protein powder used.Short term Creatine supplementation for 8 weeks has not been associated with major health risk.Long term use has had observed side effects , to include :.
Muscle crampingDehydration
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href= > Diane , Rockville : Dr. McMahon ,
Thank you for answering my first question in regard to my husbands tallis bone break.If you could recommend some specialists , we would be greatly appreciative.He has been to several and was not real happy with their suggestions and wanted to research the possibilty of ankle replacement.
Thank you so very much
Dr. McMahon : Diane ,
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Dr. McMahon : Tom ,
Excellent question.I also agree that playing a sport is very important for your son.If your son is 11 or 12 , or younger , the risk of significant injury is low in this age group.When you get into youth football , where some athletes have matured , and other athletes are immature , I believe that the discrepancy between the force of contact should be of concern.And that is why this weight-age ratio formula that is used is not perfect.The risk of injury in sports will always exist.And you , as a parent , have to carefully decide , because of the size of your child , if he is mature enough to play with older children.
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Dr. McMahon : Omid ,
Thank you very much for this most interesting question.First of all , I would like to talk about pre-participation injury prevention , and on field treatment.The ideal time for a pre-participation physical exam for athletes who are participating in level 1 impact sports- football , lacrosse , ice hockey , etc- is 6 weeks prior to participation.The reason for this is that physicians can identify any potential medical or muclo-skeletal problems.The 6-8 week period enables the physician and athlete to correct or rehab potential problems , or identify any problems that would warrant non participation in a contact sport.In terms of minimizing injuries on the field , or utmost importance , is pre-season conditioning.Also , equipment , playing field , coaching attitudes and appropriate medical coverage at competition are very important.
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href= > Nancy , Wheaton : Dr. McMahon ,
My son recently sustained an injury on the soccer field.He was kicked in the ankle while his leg was in a 45 degree angle and caused excess stress on the knee.We've been icing it down but should he allow it to rest a week or so before playing again.Or may we assume because he's walking okay that it is probably okay.
Dr. McMahon : Nancy ,
I am assuming that your son was hit then from the outside of his leg , causing stress to the INSIDE aspect of the knee.This typically causes medial-collateral ligament strain.This could be minor , requiring only a few days away from sports , but if completely torn , requires 6-8 weeks of therapy.If your son is able to pivot , cut , jump and run , without pain , he may return to practice.If he is limping or hurts at practice , he needs to be seen by a physician.
href= > Karen , Germantown : Hello Dr. McMahon ,
I coach a soccer team for 5th grade girls.How long of a warm up is necessary to prevent injuries.Is the length of the warm up more important than focusing on stretching all of the muscle groups.
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Dr. McMahon : Karen ,
Thank you very much for this nice question.5th grade girls should warm up for at least a 30 minute perioud , and this should include stretching of all muscle groups.Interesting , the anterior cruciate ligament rate of injury , is 5-9 times higher in the female soccer player than the male soccer player.Fortunately , your age group of girls do not need to be concerned about this now.But , as they mature , not only is their stretching and warming up program important , but also , their strengthening program and a proprioceptive program.When cutting and landing , girls tend to be more upright than boys , and this is felt to lend itself , as one of the many variables , to ligament tears.
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Dr. McMahon : Dear Diane ,
I'm going to give you non-operative treatments and then I'm going to recommend some specialists for you.Arthritis in the tibular talar region is very painful.Your entire body weight passes through this joint.This joint is the ankle joint.The ankle joint does very well until there is a severe injury like your husband has.If he has developed arthritis as you say , the non-operative treatments are : range of motion and strengthening exercises , weight reduction if overweight , medications prescribed by a physician , and highly recommended would be glucosimine chondroitin.
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Dr. McMahon : Dear Ray ,
Montgomery County is a hot-bed for swimmers and shoulder problems are very common in this area.The amount of time your daughter spends in the pool is not exaggerated for the level for competition in this area.The most common shoulder problem in swimmers is subluxation of the shoulder.Subluxation is when the soft tissure around the shoulder stretches as a result of repetitive motion.This then results in a rotator cuff tendonitis.In order to prevent this from happening , your daughter dry land workouts should inclued anterior capsular strengthening , which the coaches and trainers should be familiar with.
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Dr. McMahon : Jim ,
Good questions.Pitcher's elbow is fragmentation of the capitellum , a bony structure in the elbow , that can occur spontaneously in non-pitchers but also seen in pitchers.The common protocols done to prevent problems in young pitchers are : limiting the number of innings young pitchers pitch , limiting the number of pitches thrown , discouraging curve balls at an early age.If your son indeed has a pitcher's elbow and has loss of motion , he should be seen by an orthopedic surgeon.
href= > John , Gaithersburg : Good afternoon Dr. McMahon , my 16 ye
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