Impressive Resume

I wanted to take a few minutes to brag on a very successful coach in my family, my uncle, Larry Knight. This past Sunday, he was the manager for the East team in the Aflac All-American high school all star game, which was played at PETCO park in San Diego and broadcast nationally in High Definition. When he's not coaching in all star games, he is the head coach at Sumrall high school in south Mississippi. He has compiled a very impressive resume at Sumrall, winning 3 straight state championships, including going undefeated in 2009 and only losing one game this past season. Sumrall also set the Mississippi state record for consecutive victories this past season. Larry also won 4 state championships while coaching at Hattiesburg high school. I may be a little biased, but I think he has to be considered among the best coaches in Mississippi baseball high school history. I also have to mention that Larry's son and my cousin, Austin, is also a really good catcher for Sumrall. They have a great chance to win another championship in 2011.

Probable End of an Era

I was saddened by the news today that Chipper Jones tore the ACL in his left knee and will need reconstructive surgery. Now, although I am a huge Cardinals fan, I watched many a Braves game growing up because my mother loves the Braves. I also got to see Chipper play in person several times in Atlanta when I was doing my graduate work at Auburn. He is probably one of the best switch hitters to ever play the game, and I'm sure this is not how he wanted to end his career.

I've watched the video of the injury several times and there is really not a good shot of the injury. He jumps up in the air to make the throw to first, and tears his ACL when he lands on his left leg. It appears his left knee is almost fully extended, and there is some rotation of both the upper and lower legs as well. What likely happened to his knee can be seen in the picture above. This puts a tremendous amount of stress on the ACL and can cause a tear. Hopefully the surgery will go well and he can make a full recovery.

To Stretch or Not to Stretch

I apologize for the length of time between blog posts. I spent most of June traveling and have been busy with summer classes this past month. One of the places I went in June was to Philadelphia, PA, for the National Athletic Trainers Association annual meeting and symposium. I did a presentation on some of my ankle research and got to hear many presentations from leaders in our field. One of the talks was on stretching. There is debate in the scientific field and athletic community about the importance of stretching, when you should stretch, how much you should stretch, etc. The big questions are: does stretching improve or hinder performance, and what is the effect of stretching on injuries? I'll go through the questions now with my opinion and what was discussed at the conference.

1) What is the effect of stretching on performance? Most athletes do some type of stretching before practice or a game. There has been some debate in the literature about whether or not stretching right before a competition, especially one involving speed, will hinder performance. Basically, one theory is that stretching will make you slower. There is some evidence to support this, and some evidence that does not. The panel said that there is not enough evidence yet to support either theory, but that for most athletes, a dynamic stretching routine (one where the body is moving) is preferred over static (being still and holding a position) before practice or a game.

2) What is the effect of stretching on injuries? Another question is whether or not increasing flexibility will reduce or limit the potential for injuries. Again, there is not enough research to support the notion that increased flexibility will reduce the number of injuries. It has been established that you lose flexibility after an injury, and that regaining this flexibility is a key component of the rehabilitation program. It is also known that flexibility imbalances between the extremities, just like strength imbalances, may lead to injury. But, for example, there is no concrete evidence that says if you do not have this amount of hamstring flexibility, you are more prone to a hamstring strain.

So, to sum this up and give you my opinion, stretching and flexibility should be an important component of any exercise or rehabilitation routine. I think it is better to do more dynamic stretches before you exercise, practice, or compete, and static stretching should be done after a workout or if the goal is to increase range of motion. There is research to support that tight hamstrings and hip extensors can lead to low back pain, so it is essential to stretch these muscles. Until more research is conducted, the other questions cannot be answered.

Muscle Memory: Fact or Fiction?

A popular term that is tossed around among sportscasters and fitness professionals is "muscle memory." The basic premises behind muscle memory is the more you practice a skill, the better you become at it because the muscle "remembers" what to do. There is no doubt that proper practice yields improvement in performance, strength, coordination, etc. However, these changes are not due to muscle memory. There is no memory structure within the muscle itself, therefore, the muscle cannot remember or forget to do things. Every single muscle fiber is connected to the nervous system by the way of a motor unit. In order for a muscle to fire or contract, a signal must be sent to the fibers from the nervous system. The "memory" part is in the nervous system, and more specifically, in the brain. If you remember the first time you attempted to hit a baseball, shoot a basketball, ride a bike, etc., you were probably clumsy, uncoordinated, and had little success. Over time, you probably saw improvement. When we perform a skill we have little to no experience with, the nervous system does not know which muscles to recruit (activate), how many muscles to recruit, how frequently to recruit the muscles, and when to turn the muscles off. As we practice the skill, the nervous system begins to learn and remember, and recruits only the muscles needed to perform the skill, and at the right frequency and intensity. The nervous system also learns to turn off muscles that are not needed to perform the skill and would hinder performance. So, the theory of muscle memory is actually a complex process that involves both the nervous system and the muscular system. But, there is no memory structure within muscle, so the term muscle memory is fiction.

Perfect Game

This past Sunday, Dallas Braden, of the Oakland A's, threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. There are many amazing feats in athletics, but to me, a baseball purist, throwing a perfect game may just top them all. There have only been 19 perfect games in the 100 year plus history of Major League Baseball. A perfect game requires a complete team effort. Twenty seven hitters are all retired without any of them reaching base. The pitcher cannot make any mistakes, such as walking a hitter, hitting a batter with a pitch, or leaving a pitch out over the middle of the plate that is likely to be crushed for a base hit. It also requires a tremendous effort on the part of the defense, to commit no errors, and likely make a great play or two to preserve the perfect game. Braden also accomplished this feat against the Rays, who at the time had the best record in baseball. A perfect truly is a rare and remarkable feat.

Just Admit It

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Edinson Volquez was suspended for 50 games yesterday by Major League Baseball for violating the substance abuse policy. His excuse: he was taking fertility pills to increase he and his wife's chances of having children. Sound familiar? Manny Ramirez was suspended for roughly the same thing last year. As a baseball fan and scientist, I have three issues with these athletes and their excuses. First, if Volquez, or Ramirez were using these drugs to increase fertility, they could have requested an exemption through MLB to use the drug. Last year, MLB granted 108 such exemptions. Many times fertility drugs are cycled along with steroids in an attempt to make the body produce more testosterone. So, if these drugs were really being taken for fertility reasons, why not get an exemption. Second, there is no scientific evidence that performance enhancing drugs make you a better pitcher or better hitter. However, there is research about the many negative side effects of these drugs. Why take a drug where there is no scientific evidence that it will enhance performance, but there is evidence of the negative side effects? Third, and this is more of a baseball issue, Volquez is currently on the disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery, and isn't projected to be back in the majors until July/August. However, MLB is allowing him to serve his 50 game suspension while on the disabled list. This does not seem very fair, allowing a player to serve a suspension when the cannot play due to injury? Hopefully this issue will be addressed in the future.

Bad Injury, Amazing Play

This weekend during a college baseball game between Vanderbilt and Florida, there was an amazing play and horrific injury. Vanderbilt pitcher Corey Williams took a line drive off his right patella, but was able to find the ball and flip it to first base in time for the out. The x-ray of this patella is on the left, and you can see that it is clearly broken. He is to have surgery later this week to repair the bone. If anyone has ever broken their patella or just bruised it, they will tell you how painful it is. It is truly remarkable that he was able to gather himself and still throw the ball to first base for the out. Now, for a little information on the patella. The patella is a seasmoid bone located on the anterior (front) aspect of the knee. Anytime we flex and extend (bend) our knee, the patella moves in the femoral groove. The patella provides protection to the front of the knee, and it also increases the mechanical advantage of the quadriceps muscle. The patella is imperative to normal function of the knee. Corey is going to have a tough road ahead, but hopefully he will be able to return to pitching next season.

Corey Williams amazing play and injury