By Britney Else, DO
National Girls and Women in Sports Day was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1986 to honor female athletic achievement and recognize the importance of sports and fitness participation for all girls and women.
Athletics, sports, and its community have had a profound impact on my life, career, health and future. At age of 4, I started t-ball and have continued to participate in athletics to this day. I was fortunate enough to be a collegiate athlete and varsity in two sports as a freshman. In the beginning, I found it hard, as my parents and uncle were my coaches, and I often wasn’t always a starter or got much play time. I later learned that they did not want to have a bias towards me. However, I have come to appreciate that restraint from my coaches as I learned about teamwork and belonging.
Sports has helped shape me into the mom, physician, and woman I am today. I learned about hard work on and off the court or field, which likely helped prepare me for medical school and the rigors of medical residency. I learned that my academic performance in high school and college could affect my ability to play, so I took school very seriously as well. I also learned a sense of accomplishment and pride when being chosen for scholarship, or all-state, or after winning a big game.
Athletics also steered my career into sports medicine, and it is a perfect fit for me to be able to treat athletes and return them to the sports they love. Most importantly, I feel sports and athletics has had the most profound impact on my health. I enjoy staying healthy through exercise and sports. I now enjoy coaching my young daughters in their early years of sports. I would like to share some benefits that sports can have for women of all ages.
8 Benefits for Girls and Women Who Participate in Sports:
- Increased mental and physical well-being
- Increased sense of belonging
- Increased academic performance
- Increased sense of self, accomplishment, and pride
- Increased work ethic, responsibility, and accountability
- Increased bone and muscle mass, in turn decreasing risk of osteoporosis
- Improved balance and coordination
- Decreased risk of chronic disease, cardiovascular disease and some cancers
National Girls and Women in Sports Day originally began as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women’s sports. Hyman died of Marfan’s Syndrome in 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. Since that time, the day has evolved into an acknowledgement of the past and recognition of current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.
Tulsa Bone and Joint’s Union Pines Surgery Center is the first non-hospital environment in the state to offer Mako SmartRobotics™. This advancement in joint replacement surgery improves the way total knee and partial knee replacements are performed by helping surgeons know more and cut less.
Tulsa Bone & Joint’s Union Pines Surgery Center is the first ambulatory surgery center in Oklahoma to offer this state-of-the-art technology. Several of the surgeons will utilize the technology, which includes CT-based planning and insightful data analytics in order to provide patients with an optimal joint replacement experience. The first two knee replacements using the technology were performed at Union Pines on Jan. 5.
“We are proud to be the first surgery center in our area to offer this highly advanced robotic technology,” said Dr. J. Scott Reid. “At Tulsa Bone and Joint, we strive to provide our patients access to cutting-edge technology. Our ultimate goal is to improve the patient experience at Tulsa Bone and Joint and Union Pines Surgery Center, and we believe this technology helps us achieve this goal.”
At Union Pines, patients can benefit from all of Tulsa Bone and Joint’s surgical expertise in a comfortable, outpatient setting. Joint replacements performed at Union Pines help patients avoid the hospital setting and are available at a lower cost than hospitals.
Patient Deborah Zombro with Dr. J. Scott Reid. Deborah was one of the first patients whose knee replacement involved the new Mako Robotics technology at Union Pines Surgery Center.
Dr. J. Scott Reid demonstrates the Mako technology.
At Tulsa Bone & Joint, our physical therapists can help minimize your back and neck pain with a customized treatment plan based on:
- Stretching and strengthening, which will help manage pain and accelerate tissue healing
- Proper posture and ergonomic principles to preserve the spine
- Apply passive modalities if needed: ice, heat, ultrasound, traction, electrical stimulation
- Education, to decrease the likelihood of future injuries
The physical therapists at Tulsa Bone & Joint Associates have advanced education and training for many common and not-so-common orthopedic conditions. Request an appointment online or call (918) 392-1482 today to schedule your appointment at our main campus in our Tulsa, Midtown Tulsa, Bartlesville, Owasso, or Sand Springs.
Kally Owen recently joined Tulsa Bone & Joint as a physical therapist on our main campus.
Kally holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and a minor in Microbiology from Oklahoma State University. She earned a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Oklahoma.
“I love treating all orthopedic conditions and have added training in pelvic floor physical therapy, which allows me to treat my patients in a holistic manner in hopes of improving their functional abilities and adding value and meaning to their lives,” Kally says.
Outside of work, Kally enjoys spending time with her husband, Garrett, and their, dog, Woody, along with our family and friends.
“I am a ‘farmer’s daughter’ originally from Northwest Oklahoma and enjoy all things outdoors,” Kally says. “We love living in Tulsa and typically spend our free time trying out new attractions and restaurants that make us even more proud to call Tulsa our home.”
We’re so glad you’re on our team, Kally!
By Lisa Altena, PT
Recently, Tulsa Bone and Joint Physical Therapy has seen a lot of workers start to work from home. With this change, posture or home ergonomics has started to become a very important topic to address. Poor posture while working at a computer can create injuries in multiple areas of the body. Correcting this posture can help with injury prevention especially when you are working from a computer over a long period of time. Working from home brings up new topics to address, like using laptops, surfaces you are working on, and chairs.
What to look at:
- Chair: chair height, seat of chair, and back support of the chair
- Monitor: the height and location of the monitor
- Edge of workstation surface
Ways to make your chair more posture-friendly:
- Put a pillow on the seat to elevate the seat if needed
- Roll up a towel behind the back for lumbar support
- Wrap the armrests in a towel to allow your elbows to rest
- Move your chair close to help prevent leaning over the surface
- Lower the chair so your feet can touch the ground
Ways to make your laptop positioning more posture-friendly:
- Place something under the laptop when using it on your lap
- Use an external monitor, keyboard, or mouse if possible
Way to make your edge of surface more posture-friendly:
Pad the surface edge that you are working on with a towel or pool noodle
Other things to think about:
- If you use two monitors, have your main monitor in front of you.
- Try to stay away from the dining table, couch, bed, and floor.
Applying these ideas and others can help prevent injuries over time.
References:
Davis, K. G., Kotowski, S. E., Daniel, D., Gerding, T., Naylor, J., & Syck, M. (2020). The Home Office: Ergonomic Lessons From the “New Normal.” Ergonomics in Design, 28(4), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1064804620937907
