Turning Pain Into Empathy: Sports Medicine at ACNW

Many members of the ACNW sports medicine have been active athletes for most of their lives and experienced sports injuries of their own. 

They can say to their patients: 

“This happened to me once, too.” 

Their experiences as young athletes and their desire to help others led them to complete the training necessary to specialize in sports medicine for pediatric patients. 

Physical and emotional aspects of injuries 

It takes a team of experts to keep young athletes healthy and get them back on the field. Athletic trainers are often the first members of a care team to meet an athlete. The primary goal of an ACNW athletic trainer is to prevent injury using strategies like taping ankles, encouraging proper stretching techniques or ensuring athletes stay hydrated. When an injury occurs during a sport, trainers can become a valuable link between a patient and physician because of their ability to describe the circumstances and symptoms of the injury. In other cases, emergency room physicians, often the first stop for parents, will refer patients to the ACNW sports medicine clinic because of the specialized treatments offered. 
 
The ACNW team treats both the physical and emotional aspects of injuries. The first step is listening to the young patient and their parents. Kids, especially young kids, may not have the vocabulary to describe an injury. Children and adults have varying pain thresholds, which means some injuries affect kids and adults totally differently. 
 
To accurately diagnose an injury, the ACNW sports medicine team listens to the patient and their parents, conducts a thorough physical exam and uses X-rays when needed. Football and soccer seasons result in many sprained ankles, knee injuries and concussions. 
 
In addition to physical pain, the injuries often cause stress. Young athletes sometimes worry they won’t be able to participate in their favorite sports, and parents worry their children will get hurt again. The stress of sustaining an injury can cause secondary issues like headaches or sleeplessness. 
 
The ACNW team talks about those emotions, inviting parents and their children to share their concerns about an injury. ACNW clinics are a safe place for athletes to learn about their bodies and explore the emotional side of injuries. 
  

Back in the game 

Our sports medicine team members understand the value of sports to their patients. They empathize with the wonderful sense of accomplishment and the camaraderie that sports provide. They also understand how those aspects can be necessary to helping a child weather the storms that come with just being a regular kid. 
 
Treating and rehabilitating injuries can take weeks or months. Physical and occupational therapists provide the specialized pediatric care needed for muscles and bones that are still growing while also healing. Children respond really well to encouragement and physical therapy. Every member of our team loves seeing a child get stronger and more comfortable in their bodies. Their physical recovery parallels improvement in emotional stability. 
 
Arkansas Children’s uses “safe return to play” protocols throughout treatment before clearing an athlete to return to the field. 

A diverse team for diverse athletes 

It takes the diverse skills of everyone on the ACNW sports medicine team – trainers, pediatric nurses and physicians, physical and occupational therapists – working together to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow. 
 
When hurts happen, the sports medicine team at ACNW is committed to treating all patients with a combination of compassion and expert care.