Examining an individual prior to athletic training can prevent injuries

By Nick Rees

As the summer heats up and more and more people hit the track for some cardiovascular exercise, injury rates can rise. According to The American Journal of Sports Medicine, as many as 65 percent of regular runners will be injured this year.

"At this time of year, as more people are doing road races or 5K and 10K races, we're seeing a lot of knee and hip pain, ankle injuries, and shoulder injuries from falls," Dr. Audrey Cheung-O'Carroll, MD, selected as a Chicago Top Doctor by TopTierMD as a top rated family medicine practitioner in Chicago, says. "The other worry we have when people begin to run is is they are fit cardiac-wise. We're doing a lot of clearance for running and high endurance sports."

According to a Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise report, one running injury occurs for approximately every 100 hours of running, resulting in runners missing as much as 10 percent of their workouts because of injury.

To prepare potential athletes for the rigors of training, Dr. Cheung-O'Carroll recommends a cardiac workup if one hasn't been done or if the patient has high risk factors.

"We go through a patient's history and figure out what diagnostic tests they need rather than just ordering all of the diagnostic tests," Dr. Cheung-O'Carroll says. "We keep cost in mind when we order things for people and we screen them for certain conditions.

"Say you're a new, 40-year-old patient and you haven't really been to a primary care doctor for a long time because you've been healthy. Then you decide you want to run a 5K race.

"What I usually do when I meet you is get your medical and family history, then figure out what's going on with you. Based on that, I'd determine if you need an EKG or other diagnostic. Based on the findings of that testing and a physical, I'd tell you what we need to look at. If it was flexibility, maybe you have tightness in your hamstrings, I'd give you stretches. We go over strength training, too. It's just little, easy things that people can start doing at home to build endurance."

In addition to training, Dr. Cheung-O'Carroll says, she also advises would-be athletes on nutrition.

"We try to tailor individual plans to each individual person. We talk about what's safe in terms of weight to attain, what can be done and how to avoid the weekend warrior mentality of overtraining."

Dr. Audrey Cheung-O'Carroll, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered Best in Family Medicine in Chicago. She specializes in Preventative Health and Wellness and Sports Medicine.