Granada Sports Medicine

In Motion Crutches

2011-10-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

A new crutch has come on the market by In-Motion, and Granada High School can gain access to free pairs just by visiting Millennial Medical's website or Facebook page. There is a short three question survey to fill out although it only takes a few minutes to complete. To assist the program to get state of the art equipment, please visit either:

facebook.com/BestCrutches or www.MillennialMedical.com

American Heart Walk

2011-08-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

This year I have once again set out on a mission that is very near and dear to my heart and it is now only two weeks away. As many of you might not be aware, my brother passed away 25 years ago from a congenital heart defect. I can not believe that he has been away from us for so long but he remains close in my heart. I also lost my grandfather just a few short years ago. He was actually one of the first persons to receive the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) units. At that time, they had not even received FDA approval yet. This unit is an electronic device that constantly monitors your heart rate and rhythm. When it detects a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm, it delivers energy to the heart muscle. This causes the heart to beat in a normal rhythm again. It gave him another few years of life. And in April, just a few short months ago, my grandmother suffered a major heart attack and stroke which took her from us all too quickly.

On September 18, 2011, I will be participating in the 19th Annual American Heart Walk in San Ramon, CA . I have set a personal goal to raise $1000 for the American Heart Association and need your help to reach my donation goal. We are raising critical dollars for heart disease and stroke research and education. Your donation is tax deductible!!!You can help me reach my goal by sending a donation directly to me, or by making a donation online. The link to make an online donation is: http://heartwalkbayarea.kintera.org/kimconnors.

The American Heart Association's online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you prefer to donate less, you can do so by sending a check directly to me. If you are unable to donate this year, please come out and walk with me. Just sign-up to register to be a part of my team. The walk is a 5K and begins at 8:30am at Bishop Ranch.

Unfortunately, many of our youth are becoming over weight, eating poorly, not exercising, etc. and these dollars will eventually assist in their well being. Hopefully they decide to make some life changes along the way but until then, the research and education components are important!Your donation will help fight our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers—heart disease and stroke as well as helping me to remember two people that I loved very dearly. You are making a difference. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,Kim

Physicals

2011-05-24T10:19:00.001-07:00

Although we just held a mass physical night last night, there will be another one on Thursday, August 11, 2011 for those incoming freshman who will still need to get this completed as well as the Fall Sports teams. You can always go to the ValleyCare Health System website under the ValleyCare Sports Medicine program to retrieve the latest updates for physical dates.

2009-07-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Still need to get a physical??? All physicals MUST be completed prior to the first day of Fall practices which begin on August 17, 2009. If you are unabl to get into an appointment with your primary care physician prior to that date, no problem. Visit www.valleycare.com and visit the sports medicine link to find out how to sign up for a physical. All athletes will be required to have a parent present and you must bring your paperwork with you. Appointments are also required. Sign up today!

American Heart Association

2007-09-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

This year I have once again set out on a mission that is very near and dear to my heart and it is now only two weeks away. As many of you might not be aware, my brother passed away 20 years ago from a congenital heart defect. I can not believe that he has been away from us for so long but he remains close in my heart. I also lost my grandfather just a few short years ago. He was actually one of the first persons to receive the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) units. At that time, they had not even received FDA approval yet. This unit is an electronic device that constantly monitors your heart rate and rhythm. When it detects a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm, it delivers energy to the heart muscle. This causes the heart to beat in a normal rhythm again. It gave him another few years of life.

On September 28, 2008, I will be participating in the 16th Annual American Heart Walk in Danville, CA . I have set a personal goal to raise $1000 for the American Heart Association and need your help to reach my donation goal. We are raising critical dollars for heart disease and stroke research and education. Your donation is tax deductible!!!

You can help me reach my goal by sending a donation directly to me, or by making a donation online. The link to make an online donation is: http://heartwalk.kintera.org/eastbayca/kimberyconnors .
The American Heart Association's online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you prefer to donate less, you can do so by sending a check directly to me. If you are unable to donate this year, please come out and walk with me. Just sign-up to register to be a part of my team. The walk is a 5K and begins at 8:30am at the Danville Livery.

Unfortunately, many of our youth are becoming over weight, eating poorly, not exercising, etc. and these dollars will eventually assist in their well being. Hopefully they decide to make some life changes along the way but until then, the research and education components are important!

Your donation will help fight our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers—heart disease and stroke as well as helping me to remember two people that I loved very dearly. You are making a difference. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Kim

The role of a Certified Athletic Trainer

2007-09-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

When am I available? I am available on campus every day for practice and game coverage. Should I not be there to service your injury needs, I do have a replacement that will come in to cover the days events. In rare instances there may not be coverage available. As we strive to maintain consistent care, coaches will be notified well in advance of such an occurrence. My hours are posted inside the window each week so that the athletes know when I am available to assist with their needs.

Where am I located? You can find me in P-40. It is the last portable as you head out to the football field.

So what it is that I do when I am on campus? As a Certified Athletic Trainer, I specialize in the prevention, recognition, management and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. Athletic Trainers are much different than personal trainers! A personal trainer works with individuals to monitor and/or change exercise habits. Athletic Trainers must hold at least a bachelor's degree, pass a written, oral, and written simulation exam, must abide by the National Organizations standards and guidelines, as well as keep abreast with the ever changing medical field by participating in continuing education.

Welcome Back!

2007-09-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

Another great year has begun. As we begin this year I am looking forward to meeting all the new parents of our freshman athletes, new athletes, and seeing those of you who I have not seen since your sport ended. There are a lot of exciting things happening at Granada this year. Get ready... because here we go!!!

Now that we're headed for summer...

2006-06-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

We should really begin talking about protecting ourselves from the sun. One in five Americans develops skin cancer in their lifetime. More than 90% of skin cancer is caused from not being protected from the sun. Skin protection should happen year round not just during the warm seasons of the year. Your risk of developing skin cancer doubles for every five times that you have gotten a sun burn.

So what is skin cancer?
There are three forms of skin cancer. Squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas are two forms of cancer that are slow growing and very easy for dermatologists to treat. The most common form of skin cancer is melanoma. Melanoma is very dangerous and fast growing. Skin most exposed to sunlight has the greastest chance of developing the cancer.

How do I look for skin cancer?
As we should always look to the experts to get a clear diagnosis of a disease, we can look for some symptoms of skin cancer. Usually melanoma shows up on the head, face, neck, arms and back. The surface of the skin can be raised and rough. Most of the sites appear to be brown or black in color. Some can be a lighter brown, however. They can start off by looking like a mole. They are usually not completely round in shape. They can grow and change shape as time goes on.

How do I get skin cancer?
Ultraviolet light is usually how people acquire skin cancer. Two of the most common places that we can attract UV light is from the sun and tanning beds. Not being protected from the sun is how we get it. Some forms of skin cancer can be hereditary.

What does it do?
The ultraviolet light damages the DNA that make up genes that form skin cells. When these cells get damaged, it is the wrong kind of damage to the wrong cell that causes the cancer.

For more information on skin cancer, go to the skin cancer website at http://www.skincancer.org/.

Moving on!

2006-06-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Another chapter in some of your lives is over and it is now time to move on. As we count down the final days of the school year, I remind you all to please be responsible. If you go to a party, please do not get into the car after you have been drinking or with someone else that has been drinking. During our Every 15 Minutes presentation this year, some of you got first hand experience of the consequences. Be safe and make smart choices. Have a wonderful graduation and good luck to you, the Class of 2006, with your future endeavors. For those of you that will be coming back next year, have a great summer!

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2006.... YOU DID IT!!!!

I leave you with a couple of sites to visit:

http://www.madd.org/

http://support.madd.org/site/PageServer?pagename=wp1_homepage&JServSessionIdr012=ypj1qzltp2.app1a

Whale of a tale!

2006-06-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of my football players seemed to believe that he had gotten a piece of the rubber from the artifical turf field into his eye. Upon further investigation, we realized that he had a sty on his eyelid causing him extreme discomfort. He informed me that his mom uses hard boiled eggs to make stys go away. I had never heard that before, but it got me to thinking. What is you favorite "old wives tale" that relates to medicine? Here are a couple of examples:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Seeing an ambulance is very unlucky unless you pinch your nose or hold your breath until you see a black or a brown dog. This example was taken from the website "Unusual Trivia Collection" at http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html.

Have fun with this one!!!

What fluid is better?

2006-05-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

We can go back and forth about which is better for an athlete to drink... water or sport drinks. I prefer the athletes to drink water. The human body is made up of 60% water. At some point, however, the body may need some replacement of the electrolytes that are lost during exercise. Sport drinks such as gatorade, will help to replenish those lost electrolytes. So does that make a sport drink better to consume? No! I see a lot of my athletes bring several bottles of fluids. They begin with drinking water and then they will drink a sport drink, returning to water. Could they be onto something? Most of my outdoor sports tend to drink plain water. Just this past year at football practices, we placed a drinking trough near the field for the athletes to rehydrate themselves during the breaks. Since we have no lockers on campus, when the students bring their water "jugs", they must carry them around the whole school day to get it to practice. This may deter the athletes from bringing replacement fluids. But now that they have the water trough, at least they are able to access some fluids. My coaching staff is very good about recommending to the athletes to stay away from the "energy" drinks such as Rockstar and Red Bull. You will definitely want to stay away from those right before practice. So, which is better... water or sport drinks?

I'm thirsty!

2006-05-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know that by the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated? The key is to drink fluids before, during, and after competition or practices to prevent this from happening. Fluids that are NOT chilled are the best to consume. You are more apt to drink smaller amounts of fluid when they are cold, than if it were room temprature. You should begin to drink fluids 30 minutes prior to competition or practice. Avoid drinks that contain too much sugar and caffeinated beverages during exercise. When you sweat your body losses water and that fluid must be replaced to avoid more serious problems such as muscle cramping or heat illnesses.

It's a fact: 2.5 liters of water per day is what the average adult requires to maintain hydration. That is about 80 ounces of water.

Let's Get Physical...

2006-05-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that this Wednesday, May 31st from 6:30pm to 8:30pm are the Spring Physicals held at LifeStyleRx. The cost is $30 and a parent must be present. Please bring your paperwork with you. LifeStyleRx is located at 1119 East Stanley Boulevard in Livermore. If you miss this date, don't worry! There will be more dates scheduled for August for Fall athletes to attend.

Who do I run to?

2006-05-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

When you are traveling with your sport to another school, how do you know who to go to if you get injured? LifeStyleRx Sports Medicine contracts to 5 Tri-Valley high schools. Each of those schools have a Certified Athletic Trainer that can evaluate and treat your injuries. These schools and athletic trainers are:

Amador Valley High School - Diana Hasenpflug, ATC
Dublin High School - Amy Sutcliffe, ATC
Foothill High Shcool - Elicia Jacobs, ATC
Granada High School - Kim Connors, ATC
Livermore High School - Katie Eggers, ATC

Welcome!

2006-05-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Granada High School Sports Medicine blog. I hope you will enjoy the posts that you will find on this site in the near future.