Synthesis

Kinesiology is relatable to everyone because, of course, everyone has a body and it is important to know what goes on with it. Once you explore this engrossing field, you will begin to apply it to your own life. If any injuries arise, the proper steps to treat it can be taken and prevention of any new injuries or an old one can be used properly.

Kinesiology is the study of the mechanics of body movements and sports medicine is a profession that falls under the kinesiology field. Not a lot of people know how kinesiology and sports medicine actually can relate to them. For instance most people exercise and most people either play or have played a sport in their lifetime. If you have ever gotten injured exercising or playing a sport or want to minimize the risk of injury then this field pertains to you.

Sports are a big deal in our society. In one way or another a person has played a sport or an activity or a game before. With the many health benefits to being active there are still some pretty significant health risks. There are many common injuries that come along with just plain exercise. According to webMD.com the most common exercising injuries are: muscle pull and strain, sprained ankle, shoulder injury, knee injuries, shin splint, tendinitis, and wrist sprain or dislocation. These are injuries that can happen to anybody not just the “elite” athletes. According to nih.gov the most common sports injuries are: sprains and strains, knee injuries, swollen muscles, Achilles tendon injuries, pain along the shin bone, rotator cuff injuries, fractures and dislocations. Sports injuries occur probably more than you think. Stated by hopkinsmedicine.org, “In the U.S., about 30 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports, and more than 3.5 million injuries each year, which cause some loss of time of participation, are experienced by the participants.” You might think that this doesn’t pertain to you because you don’t play sports anymore. Well, a lot of times those little aches and pains that you had when you did play sports become a more serious problem when you get older. There is definitely a need for kinesiology and sports medicine professionals.

There are also injuries that NEED medical attention like concussions for example. Concussions are one of the most serious injuries that can occur to an athlete. They require a doctor to examine the brain and identify the magnitude of the concussion and whether a player can return to play or not.

It can be very pertinent to be well educated in the field of kinesiology. Knowing certain skills can actually save someone’s life. For example if you and a friend are out to eat and suddenly the friend is grabbing their throat and turning blue what do you do? If you are out in the supermarket line and the person behind you collapses and isn’t breathing what so you do? You are probably thinking that these are very unlikely to happen but what if they do are you going to be a deer in headlights or will you be prepared to ultimately save a life. Being skilled in things like CPR and first aid can help you control a situation and not let it control you.

These aspects of kinesiology are all important and can definitely relate to everyone. I know personally that these things are true because not only do I study kinesiology but I was active in sports all my life. I have seen many injuries and serious health problems occur to others and have had some of my own as well. I have had the experience of a sports medicine physician, and an athletic trainer. They not only helped me physically end my injuries and return to play but they helped me in other ways. They gave me reassurance, peace of mind, and hope that I could eventually overcome my injury and return to living the active lifer that I had. Every day in my kinesiology class I learn something new that I can apply to my life to help me and to help others and I know that other people interested in exploring this field or just interested in being a well-rounded person can take back an abundance of applicable skills and knowledge.

References

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/workout-injuries-prevention-and-treatment

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportsinjuries.html

Image credit: http://osteoarthritisblog.com/category/osteo-arthritis-treatment-option/physical-therapy-2/
http://northwalesspineclinic.co.uk/chiropractic-treatment-in-gwynedd-conwy-and-anglesey

What Kinesiology Means to Me

Kinesiology is definitely the field that I want to go in, but I didn't just wake up one day with a new found passion for it. I have always been active in sports since I was little and even now that I have graduated form high school and don't play any sports anymore I am still very physically active. Being active like I am, I have encountered many injuries. None of them really hindered me or stopped me from play though, until my senior year of high school.

I was at my soccer game defending the goal when  the opposing team was charging down the field. I ran up to jockey the girl with the ball when I had cut sharp in one direction but my cleat had gotten stuck in the mud and my one leg didn't go with the other. I had pain in my knee and no matter how I tried to ice it and rest it, it would not go away. So finally I went to physical therapy. My physical therapist walked me through the whole process. He was very kind and understanding, he didn't provide any care or treatment without me knowing what was going on and why he was doing it. He helped me to be aware of my own body and how to strengthen my knee. I loved the feeling of being in control of my injury and he helped me to overcome it and return to the active lifestyle that I was accustomed to. This experience really made me appreciate kinesiology that much more!

Prompt # 7: Contemplating Controversy

I played soccer for many years. I have played on a lot of fields, one of those being a turf field. Turf is suppose to imitate grass but its really rubber. There is a big controversy over whether it's safe or not for athletes to play on. Turf, since it is artificial grass, has chemicals present in it. People are concerned that these chemicals with constant exposure to the athlete can cause cancer or other health problems and others believe that it is perfectly fine to play on turf fields. So are these chemicals hazardous to a player's health? Click on the link to find out for yourself: Turf controversy.

Credit: http://www.comedsoc.org/Sports_Medicine.htm?s=486
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVZSVhyMv-A
Image credit: http://www.redridersportsblog.com/p/northeast-ohio-turf-fields.html

Prompt # 6: Evaluating Sources

I have read an article about some of the problems that can arise in sports medicine specifically dealing with the physician and the athlete. As you guys might know by now sports medicine physicians make a lot of decisions when it comes to the athlete being able to play or not after an injury. The argument is that is there ethical or conflict of interest problems happening within this occupation. "Team-employed physicians have obligations to act in the club’s best interest while caring for the individual athlete." (Bioeth, 2013). So if the star athlete of the team gets an injury right before the championship game do you think the physician would tell him to sit out that game or tell him that he can return to play?

These are the kinds of problems that can occur within this profession. I totally agree with the author of this article. Things like this can happen and probably are happening, but I also think that the integrity of most doctors would prevent them from making these kinds of ethical/conflict of interest mistakes. I also have learned that it all depends on the individual person. One doctor could be making these kind of blunders and not feel any remorse, and another doctor could be the most ethical upstanding type of person. Overall I think that most doctors went into the healthcare profession because they genuinely care about the well being of their patients/athletes so these problems are scarce.

Credit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899648/
Image credit:  http://dailyreckoning.com/how-unethical-doctors-profit-from-obamacare/

Pompt #10: Recognizing Truth

There are definitely misleading stereotypes that people have about doctors and people in the medical field. I found a site that hit on some of the most common ones: http://lifeinthefastlane.com/resident-evaluations/ . I find this kind of disturbing. After investigating a lot of different articles, newsletters, and various blogs about my field I know better. These different stereotypes are probably based on a couple peoples' bad experience with that kind of doctor and they went gossiping about it. Most doctors go into the field to help people, so why wouldn't they try to give their patients the best care they can give?


One of the other stereotype that was stated was about some doctors being lazy. I feel like after all the schooling a doctor had to go through and as many hours a doctor puts in during the day they are the farthest thing from "lazy". I read a blog post from a doctor addressing some of the stereotypes that she has heard. http://www.physicianspractice.com/blog/common-stereotypes-often-cloud-patients%e2%80%99-perception-physicians. I think that people need to realize that a doctor can match the description of some of these stereotypes but that is not a reflection of the profession but of the individual person, but most doctors genuinely care about their work and the patients that they treat.

Image credit: http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/clergy_are_not_doctors_and_the_u_s_has_its_own_savita_halappanavars/

Do You Want to Lose Weight?!

Let's talk about weight! So I learned about the energy balance equation in my kinesiology lecture. Here it is:

Energy in                                                                                                             

Caloric Balance = Food Ingested    
-(minus)                                                               
Energy Out
 Metabolic Rate

Thermogenesis

Physical Activity

Energy Excreted in Waste

On the energy in side is the calories that you consume during the day. The energy out is the factors that burn those calories or get rid of them. So you can either have a positive balance or a negative balance.
For you to have a positive balance you have to consume more calories than you expend. This results in weight GAIN.
For you to be In Balance you should be consuming the same number of calories as you expend. This results in weight MAINTENANCE.
For you to have a negative balance you have to consume fewer calories than you expend. This results in weight LOSS.

So I learned the importance of diet in any weight altering goals. Diet can make or break a fitness program. This information can help anybody with the goal of trying to lose, gain, or even maintain their weight. Next time you come from a hard, rigorous workout think about what you eat and how much you eat before you pile pizza, fries, and cake on your plate.
Picture credit: http://stansberrymasonry.com/Scripts/really-thin-people

What's Your Body Made of

In my previous free post I talked about the composition of the body. Body comp! In one of the models that I described had two components that composed the body which was storage fat and essential fat. I wanted to explain what the two were and the difference between them.

Essential fat is the fat that the body needs to function properly. This fat is used for growth and functional needs. A lack of essential fats leads to multiple symptoms and disorders including abnormalities in the liver and the kidneys, reduced growth rates, decreased immune function, depression, and dryness of the skin.  Everybody has essential fat-this is your GOOD fat. Storage fat is the fat that everyone tries to exercise and burn calories to get rid of. This fat usually is stored in areas such as the abdominal region, hip/thigh region and that fat is stored in your body in case of an emergency (like starvation) so then it will have extra fat to utilize. You do not want to have a lot of storage fat because it can lead to health problems and can cause dissatisfaction in your overall figure/appearance.
Image credit: http://www.naturesmarketstore.com/body-composition/