I was assigned to teach  a college course beginning in the fall of 1965: THE PREVENTION OF INJURIES TO ATHLETES.  And once a semester through 1985.   I served as a trainer to my own teams and many others for forty years,  learning as I went.  

There were milestones in my self education.  My core discovery was Dr. Don O’Donoghue and his book on the same topic.  It for decades was the Bible  of Sports Medicine.   Head, heat and heart issues (big problems).  The Louisiana heel  lock for ankles,  CPR, spearing and football.

I began before under wrap.  Shaved their legs above the knee to practice taping knees.  Had the class ugly leg contest for shaved  male legs.  No telling how many ankles I taped.  Discovered Elastoplast.   Still carry band aids in my wallet, but mostly for grandchildren now.

When I spied ON ANY GIVEN MONDAY by Dr.  James Andrews I compared some content with O’Donoghue.   One of the best discoveries of an old teacher is the confirmation that what you taught holds up over time.  Much of this “new” book has origins from the last century.

This new book should be read in total.  I have “cherry picked” some comments and summarized  some information I found interesting:  

*50 % of all sports are related to overuse.  60% are preventable by common sense”.   

*Youth sports injuries cost  2.5 to 3 billion dollars annually.”

*Odds of a football player making a pro roster are 6,000 to 1.”

*27%  of all insurance monies for sports injuries are for cheerleading.  While 57% goes for football, there are ten times as many football players.”

*Serious injuries?  Knees-30%, Ankles-12.3 %, Shoulders-10.9 %.”

*Preparation is 90% of execution.”

• “Every team should have a trainer.”

• There is a fine line between beneficial training and that that is ultimately detrimental.”

*MYTH:  No pain no gain.”  Young ones don’t need to hurt big time.

*During the 26 years between1982 and2008, there have been 72 catastrophic injuries reported in cheerleading, with two deaths. Gymnastics, which incorporates many of the same tumbling passes and boasts similar numbers of participants , had a total number of nine catastrophic injuries during the same period.  That is a pretty drastic difference.  Clearly, something needs to be done to protect cheerleaders from increasingly common and increasingly serious injuries.  Football, too, deserves a critical examination.  In 2007 there were 920,000 players under the age of eighteen treated in emergency rooms for injuries.”

• Dr. Andrews cites parents looking for an agent for  a tennis playing child, age 6.