By Evyn Roliz
NHP Track athletes can be seen lining up outside of the athletic trainer’s office nearly every day before their practice begins. Track, a sport in which NHP’s team members compete in running, jumping and throwing events, requires a significant amount of exercise for several hours many days per week, leading to the continual setting of new records and success that the school achieves. Unfortunately, many student-athletes face injury throughout their sports season as a result of improper warmups, lack of rest or improper footwear.
“It is the high volume of running and low amount of recovery that can make track strenuous for athletes,” athletic trainer David Lebron said.
NHP’s athletic trainer, known most commonly by students as David, plays a crucial role in protecting, treating and rehabilitating the athletes.
Source by Evyn Roliz
NHP's track athletes practice the exercises and stretches taught to them by athletic trainer David Lebron to prevent common track-induced injuries.
“For most other sports, you’re working towards a goal… but for track, it’s like you’re just trying to push yourself, you’re trying to win the race and be your fastest,” junior Deborah Aderibigbe said.
Aderibigbe has described track injuries as a “rite of passage” for first season track athletes, referencing the frequency at which these injuries occur.
“I got shin splints in 10th grade from running. At first it was okay; I could run through the pain. But after a few weeks of intensive workouts, it got progressively worse. I just went to David for the rest of the season. I would visit him before practice every single day,” junior Kaylee Chan said.
Mr. Lebron often helps injured athletes before practice by wrapping their injuries and providing resources for rehabilitation. Sometimes, athletes who have been injured may have to temporarily stop attending practice in exchange for physical therapy. He often guides them through exercises to strengthen their overall body and prepare them for their return to the sport.
“The most common track injury that I see has to be shin splints. Emphasizing stretching and foam rolling is something I always like to do as a first line of defense. In addition to this, strengthening the muscles around the shin with resistance bands, heel raises and toe raises helps significantly,” Lebron said. “The biggest thing to prevent these injuries from occurring in the first place is to make sure we are wearing the right footwear, properly warming up before going on runs and getting in the right amount of recovery time,”
Although these injuries are frequent and treatable, they are often preventable as well. Luckily for students, Lebron encourages them to prioritize their health and well-being to ensure both safety and high performance.