I thought I would do things a bit different for this installment of Chris' Corner. Have you ever wondered how that sharp cookie of an Athletic Trainer figured out what was wrong when your favorite athlete went down on the court or walked into the Athletic Training Room complaining of an owie? Well wonder no more. Rather than discuss a specific injury or condition I thought I would talk about the process we use in evaluating a medical problem. This process is known as "HOPS". The first letter stands for history. You must obtain a thorough history of the injury from the athlete. The two most important questions to ask are "What happened?" and "Where does it hurt". Couple this with a solid understanding of human anatomy and you have gone a long way to figuring out which structures have been damaged. Other questions to ask include "Did you hear/feel any snaps, pops or cracks?", "Can you move the injured area?" and if so "What movements hurt?". The next step is observation. Look at the injured area and compare it to the opposite side of the body. Is there any obvious deformity, swelling, discoloration or anything else that looks different from the healthy side of the body? The "P" stands for palpation. Again you will compare to the healthy side of the body. Use one or two fingers to touch specific spots in the injured area. Does your touch illicit pain? If so, what structures lie under your fingers? Finally, the "S" stands for special tests. As part of any Athletic Training Education Program you learn tests to preform on the body to differentiate which structures are damaged at to what extent they are damaged. Put it all together and, whala, you figure out what's wrong with the athlete. Obviously, this process is very much condensed when evaluating an injury on the court/field under the pressure of match play having to decide whether or not it is prudent to allow the athlete to return to play. But hey, that's why we're there.
On the court the machine that is SLU volleyball keeps humming along. Florida Tech and Rollins both went quietly in three sets and the team tossed in a win against Saint Francis University for good measure. I think I was the only one in the gym who got the memo about Hawaiian shirt night. But that's ok, I got to show off my sweet threads anyway.
In Athletic Training world the injury report remains at zero. While I enjoy plying my trade I am perfectly happy having the whole team available week in and week out. On a side note we said goodbye to some of our Athletic Training Students from the University of South Florida. They will be replaced by new students who will help us the rest of the way. I have to give a major thank you to all of our students new and old. Their eager minds and able hands help keep the Athletic Training Room running smoothly. They are truly indispensable.
Remember your HOPS, keep supporting the team and we'll see you next week at Chris' Corner.
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