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Mom-daughter duo reflect on UTMB's support through high school sports injury

Thorough communication, patient care, patience and support helped Cam Blackwell make a full recovery after injuring her ankle while practicing with her softball team during her senior year of high school. Dr. John Hagedorn, associate professor and surgeon with the Orthopedic Trauma team, was the lead on Cam's case and ensured he did everything he could to help heal her injury and keep her mother, Lori Blackwell, completely informed and in the loop as things progressed.

To learn more, watch the full discussion.

Student athletes and sports injuries

Regardless of the season or sport, injuries are bound to happen to student-athletes as they play and practice. To help parents, athletes and teams better know how to react during these situations, Dr. Stacy Leung, a primary care sports medicine physician, took time to chat with our partners at Houston Moms and covered a variety of questions, including:

  • When should you head to the ER vs Urgent Care vs Family Doctor/Primary Care Provider?
  • How can the trainers/team support staff help?
    • what conversations should you have with them?
  • What conversations should you have with your primary care doctor if you are playing sports?
  • What about concussions? What are the warning signs/symptoms?
  • What is the path to get back on the field if surgery is warranted?

 

Student athlete healed by UTMB Sports Medicine team

Priest Simpson jumped high to catch a football during a game, but he fell to the ground fast when his muscles pulled the still-growing part of his tibia away from his leg and turned it upside down. His leg looked crooked.

image of UTMB Health patient Priest Simpson stretching on the sidelines of a football field in his football uniform with a coach assisting him with his leg

“I thought it was dislocated because it was still connected to other part of my knee,” Priest said. His worried parents got him to the emergency room at UTMB League City Hospital.

But his leg wasn’t dislocated. Priest had a displaced avulsion fracture of his tibial tubercle.

“This is a big injury for an athlete but also for anyone who expects normal function of their leg,” said Dr. William Weiss, an orthopedic sports medicine doctor with UTMB Health who treated Priest soon after he arrived at the hospital. “This injury completely disrupts the extensor mechanism of the knee that is the primary mechanism for generating power for running and jumping, which are some of the things Priest does well!”

Priest’s injury was on the more severe end of the scale, requiring an operation with screws to reduce and secure the fragment with patellar tendon tensioning. Dr. Weiss anticipated Priest’s continued growth.

“He recovered well and was discharged from the hospital with the expectation he would return to sports. This injury can end athletic careers for young athletes, but that is not what Priest or his parents – or me – wanted of course.”

The fracture happened in April 2021, and three months later, Dr. Weiss cleared Priest for full training. By September 2021, he cleared him to return to full sport without restrictions. That fall, Priest competed as part of an elite football team representing Texas on the national level.

Then Priest and his family temporarily moved to Africa as part of his family's missionary commitments, Dr. Weiss stayed in touch.

“What stuck out with us, and the reason why we stayed in contact even out of the country, was how Dr. Weiss spent an extreme amount of time with Priest,” said Ariel Simpson, Priest’s mother. “He didn't just rush. We know he's busy. We know he has a lot of patients. But he took his time with Priest. He saw him multiple times before we left the country again. He gave advice beyond the surgery and showed extreme care for Priest.”

Some of Dr. Weiss's advice was to get physical therapy for Priest to strengthen his muscles and tendons around the bones and the ligaments.

“And that really helped with pain,” Ariel Simpson said.

“I started this physical therapy, and then I went to the gym and started working on my legs until I felt strong enough to get back into sports,” Priest said.

He continues working with a trainer on a well-rounded routine that includes running, balancing, band work and weightlifting. He works out with the trainer every other day for 90 minutes in addition to his sports practices and games.

“Bottom line is that this is a great young man who has overcome a significant injury and continues to be very active in various sports with great potential for his future,” Dr. Weiss said. “I expect great things from him in all aspects of his life, not just sports.”

Priest, now 14, and his family visited friends [extended family] in Texas in December. They visited with Dr. Weiss in person before they returned to their missionary work in Africa.

“As a parent, it's difficult to watch your child in any kind of pain at all,” Ariel Simpson said. “We didn't know how he was going to recover or what that was going to look like. But it's incredible if you are surrounded by a medical staff and specifically a surgeon who cares. It made a difference to us very deeply in this stressful, heartbreaking moment.”

“To see how strong he is today really takes your breath away when you think about how he's recovered,” said Sean Simpson, Priest’s father. “Now he's 6 foot. He's healthy. He's 170 pounds. Seeing what he can do and work out his full body— it's just impressive.”

Priest, who plays soccer and basketball too, has a strategic game plan for when he returns to live in the United States.

“I want to come back to play high school football and get a scholarship to play college football,” he said.

And he’s still growing.

Avoiding sports-related heat injuries

In Texas, when summer comes to a close and school begins, the heat and humidity don't magically disappear, so it's important for everyone, especially those engaging in fall semester sports to stay vigilant and mindful of how they're feeling when practicing and playing outdoors.

Signs and symptoms of heat-related illness, including heat exhaustion, include nausea, fatigue, headaches and muscle cramps.

To beat the heat and help prevent heat exhaustion, UTMB Health physician Dr. Stacy Leung has the following recommendations:

  • Take breaks in the shade and AC
  • Remove heavy pads and layers when cooling off
  • Build up your endurance and tolerance for the heat by starting with shorter periods of time outdoors then gradually increase it.
  • Drink plenty of liquids
  • Replenish salts if you're sweating a lot.

For more information on health and wellness measures--including care options -- visit the UTMB Health Primary Care page.

Dr. Stacy Leung on sports-related heat injuries

View Dr. Stacy Leung's profile

Dr. Stacy Leung is a native Houstonian who has clinical interests in primary care, sports and international medicine.

UTMB Health Pediatric and Adult Primary Care, South Shore clinic

Sports Physicals - Know the facts

(Please note, this was filmed in August 2021, so there are mentions of COVID-19 precautions, considerations and standards that may no longer apply.) 

 

Did you know, pre-participation sports physicals may be required up to six weeks prior to the start of the activity? Dr. Namita Bhardwaj, assistant professor with the Department of Family Medicine and a fellowship-trained primary care sports medicine provider shares tips like that and more during this interview with Houston Moms.

Namita Bhardwaj, MD

Namita Bhardwaj, MD, Assistant professor with the Department of Family medicine and a fellowship-trained primary care sports medicine provider.

Orthopedic Sports Medicine