Injury Timeout: Sports Injury Prevention for the Student-Athlete

Contact: Marc Rubenstein, PT, DPT, OCS

Jersey Physical Therapy – Milltown/East Brunswick

Phone: 732-418-7033 (Office); 732-718-0551 (Cell)

marcr@jerseypt.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 9th, 2013

Jersey Physical Therapy to Host Free Sports-Injury Prevention Workshop

MILLTOWN/EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – Throughout the last few years, physical therapist Sean Moore says he and his partners at Jersey Physical Therapy have witnessed a higher incidence of knee injuries in student athletes, especially those that affect the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). It’s an unfortunate trend, he says, which has led Jersey Physical Therapy to establish a free injury prevention workshop geared toward student athletes, parents and coaches in the Milltown/East Brunswick area.

Titled “Injury Timeout: Sports Injury Prevention for the Student-Athlete,” the workshop will be hosted at Jersey Physical Therapy’s East Brunswick location (180 Tices Lane) on Monday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Moore and other physical therapists will be on hand to discuss ACL injury prevention as well as ways to thwart sprains, strains and lower-back pain commonly experienced by athletes.

Few of these injuries, Moore says, can be more costly to a student-athlete and his or her family than a torn ACL, which often leads to surgery and months of rehabilitation. According to Moore, most ACL tears are non-impact injuries, most commonly seen in sports like soccer and basketball.

“A kid tries to plant and change direction, and boom, the ACL goes out,” he said. “Their knee goes one way and their body goes the other.”

Through the years, Moore has worked with hundreds of athletes post-surgery whose ACL rehabilitation treatments have led to successful outcomes. But he’s quick to stress the importance of taking measures to prevent such injuries from ever happening in the first place. He suggests a multi-faceted approach:

• Stretching: The flexibility of hamstrings, quads and gluteal muscles is beneficial in preventing knee injuries.
• Strength: Having good muscle integrity, especially in the hips and thighs, “will put a person ahead of the game as far as prevention,” Moore said.
• Warm-Up: “The lack of warm-up often leads to injury,” Moore said. “If muscles are not getting sufficient blood flow, it can definitely play a role in muscles not reacting quick enough when an athlete pivots or cuts.”
• Balanced Exercise: “Athletes need a balance in training in terms of exercise,” Moore said. “If you concentrate on strength or endurance or flexibility while neglecting other components, you’re not creating stability. Cross training with authority, to a point, is the healthiest way to maintain fitness.

To learn more about ACL injury prevention or to RSVP a spot at “Injury Timeout: Sports Injury Prevention for the Student-Athlete,” go to our custom invitation at www.jerseypt.eventbrite.com, email Marc Rubenstein at marcr@jerseypt.com or call Jersey PT’s East Brunswick location at 732-418-7033.

About Jersey Physical Therapy

Jersey Physical Therapy was founded in 2002 in Kendall Park by South Brunswick natives Marc Rubenstein, PT, DPT, OCS, and Geoffrey Hunt, BS, PT, OCS. The clinic expanded in 2006 with partner Sean Moore, PT, MPT, and the opening of a second office in Milltown/East Brunswick. Both practices – and a soon-to-be-announced third location – strive to deliver the highest quality in physical therapy services with a focus on evidence-based, one-on-one therapy. To learn more about their Be Positive campaign, visit: www.jerseypt.com/events/bepositivein2013.

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