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ONeal Martin slowly gets up after being injured during the previous play at the El Dorado game. Photo by Ariana Birondo.

Sports injuries all too common for Foothill athletes

Foothill athletes take on both minor and major injuries as the sport season starts.

COLUMN
By JARRETT STECK
fhspress.com Co-Sports Editor
Posted September 1, 2011

The 2011 football season at Foothill High School started off with a bang with magnificent wins from both the junior varsity team and the varsity team, but with the skill that was demonstrated by the members of the football team comes with the risk of both minor and serious physical injuries. Injuries can range from minor bruising to serious bone breakage.

One of Foothill's very own, tight end and defensive end David Entwistle, suffers from a foot injury. During summer conditioning, Entwistle tackled a member of the opposing team and suffered a separation of the bones in his right big toe. He continued to practice and play football anyway.

With the continuous usage of his foot came the worsening of his injury. Entwistle is now in a foot cast and cannot play football for another four weeks. With this type of foot injury, any more usage of the foot can worsen the injury to the point where surgery would be needed and rods would be placed in the toe and foot.

Some players suffer from injuries of the collar bone and shoulders. Knee injuries are also very common on the football field with the continuous usage of the knee area, and pressure to the knee during the motions of a football game and practice.

Other members of different sports teams suffer from injuries. Members of the cross country team suffer from shin splints, which causes extreme pain upon the shin area of the leg. The cause of the pain can be from simply walking, but it is most common among runners. Runners can also suffer to pain in the knee region, the continuous running can cause the knees to weaken and become sore.

Many of Foothill's volleyball players suffer from "jumpers knee." The extreme stress on the knees from jumping can cause a partial rupture of the patella tendon. This can often lead to inflammation and degeneration of the tissue that connects the kneecap to the tibia bone. "jumpers knee" can cause extreme pain at the bottom of the kneecap.

With so many of our athletes playing more than one sport, it's amazing there aren't many more injuries.

FOOTHILL HIGH SCHOOL fhspress.com SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA