TheAthletesLawyer

Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau admits that his ice bath regimen, toe spreaders and reading upside down may be unique, but what some elite athletes do is just plain weird.  For example, shortly before the 2003 London Marathon, champion road runner Paula Radcliffe collided with a 13-year-old cyclist and suffered a dislocated jaw, whiplash and cuts and bruises.  To hasten the healing, she used an old aboriginal treatment: a balm extracted from the fat of an emu, a speedy, three-toed Australian bird.  A month later Radcliffe defended her title at the London Marathon in world-record time, according to the November 30, 2009 Sports Illustrated “Scorecard” column relating some of sports most ridiculous remedies ,

Paula Radcliffe should not be dismissed as some nut case or fad follower.  The British racer is a serious athlete and an accomplished competitor.  Radcliffe shattered expectations in London with “the most stunning endurance performance in history, male or female,” Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Dowling is shown giving ART treatment to competitor (& Maccabiah Gold Medal Winner after the ITU Dextro Triathlon in Washington, D.C.

“Active Release Technique” or “ART” is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Doug Landau has had ART treatment before and after races and found it to be beneficial, especially with regard to iliotibial band (”IT Band”) pain and hamstring tightness after hard multi sport training.

Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee Read the rest of this entry »

Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau and 6 time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott

Even an experienced cyclist like Six time Ironman world champion Dave Scott can get struck by car while cycling.  While riding in his home town of Boulder, Colorado, Ironman Champion Dave Scott was hit by a car while on a training ride.  Witness at the scene of the accident report that Scott was conscious and talking after being struck, and that it looked to them like the car accident had potentially broken Scott’s collar bone or separated his shoulder with other multiple cuts on his legs and arms.  News reports indicate that the bike crash took place as he was riding down a hill and a car suddenly made a U-turn in his path.  The motorist was from out of town and was looking at real estate signs.

According to a biker who came on the scene shortly after the crash, the champion triathlete put two massive dents in the driver’s side door. he was taken to the hospital.  Witnesses at the scene also report that Scott was well taken care of by both emergency services and fellow cyclist.  Since 1999, Dave has served as head triathlon coach for Team In Training.  I have met and spoken to Scott at the Columbia and DC Nations Triathlons.  He is personable, with a ready sense of humor and an athlete who lives what he preaches.  I hope that he has a full and complete recovery from this bike crash.

Rehab to Racing (”R2R”) announces

OPEN WATER SWIMMING AT MILLBROOK QUARRY

Beginning Sunday May 17, 2009, 2:30-4:30PM

Supervised open water swim opportunity for Northern Virginia Triathletes and long distance swimmers. Learn techniques to help you in open water triathlons and swimming races. These sessions can really give you a “leg up” on your competition and help you feel more “at home” in the lake, river, pond and ocean swims that host multi-sport events. Better to learn in a legal setting than have to learn to do the “perp walk” later ! (See post on “Illegal swimming can land you in hot water”

Measured and marked swim course with buoys. Wetsuits and visible swim caps required. $25 per session.

Planned swim dates: May 17, 31; June 14, 28; July 12, 19; (later dates TBD)

Contact the Coaches at Rehab to Racing at openwaterswim@rehabtoracing.com and information at Tickets and information available at R2R

TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau is asked, “Why do the majority of Triathlon fatalities occur during the swim portion of the race, when competitors are still fresh, and are not at risk for overheating or orthopedic injury ?” Statistically, almost all the fatalities reported in multi-sport events in the United States have been from the often frantic, frenetic open water swim portion of the race. Doug Landau has had anxiety attacks from coming into freezing cold water in several events early in his career, but now employs several strategies to deal with this difficulty. Swimmers can’t easily signal for help or slow down to rest during swimming as they can in the biking or running parts of a triathlon, said Dr. Kevin Harris, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Harris led a study at an American College of Cardiology conference in Florida. The Minneapolis institute’s foundation sponsored the work and tracks athlete-related sudden deaths in a national registry. Dr. Harris, who also has competed in these events, noted that rescuers may have trouble spotting someone in danger in a crowd of competitors in the lakes, rivers and oceans where these events typically are held.

Of the 14 deaths identified, 13 occurred during swimming; the other was a bike crash. Autopsies on six of the victims showed that four had underlying heart problems. Two others had normal-looking hearts, but they may have suffered a fatal heart rhythm problem, Harris said. A search of the Minneapolis registry and the Internet found four other triathlon-related deaths from 2006 through 2008 beyond those that occurred in the officially sanctioned events. “While not a large risk, this is not an inconsequential number,” Harris said. Herndon Reston sports injury lawyer Doug Landau recommends reading tomorrow’s post, with doctors’ recommendations for preparing and safety.

Following up on the news stories about fatal injuries to multi-sport athletes this Fall, the AP carried a story about a new medical study. Swim-bike-run triathlons pose at least twice the risk of sudden death as marathons do, according to this first study of these competitions. Understand that “twice the risk,” statistically speaking, may still involve very small numbers or percentages of the endurance sports population, according to Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau. In other words, according to Herndon Reston injury lawyer Landau, 15 deaths out of one million long distance race participants is twice as many, statistically, as 8 out of the same number of athletes (elites, age groupers and “weekend warriors”). Read the rest of this entry »

Books that heavily influenced my running training include:

“Neuromuscular Mechanisms for Therapeutic & Conditioning Exercise,” (University Park Press, 1976) by my Professor Howard Knuttgen, Ph.D. Dr. Knuttgen, was the Associate Dean of the Sargent College of Allied Health Professions at Boston University, where I studied human physiology, ergonomics, anatomy and exercise science.

“Winning Running (The Oregon System: A mental and physical approach to competitive running)”, by Bill Dellinger (Contemporary Books, 1978). Dellinger, the Head Coach at the University of Oregon, was the National cross country “coach of the year” when this book came out, and his team was National cross country champion the year before. Following the book’s training schedules, I was able to run some very fast times (i.e., 16:35 5km, 28:52 8km, 36:04 10km). Read the rest of this entry »

“Any time an injured athlete can make use of the “down time” to work on weaknesses; improve their minds, or expand their opportunities, it is a good thing,” according to Herndon and Reston Virginia Sports Injury Lawyer Doug Landau. “This is so because no matter how good a lawyer I may be, I can never get them back the time they have lost. I cannot turn back the clock.”

The TriathlonTrialLawyer was responding to a USA Today 3/13/09 Sports Section article about a top professional whose Tennis “Injury allowed her to pursue dream.” This young woman pursued her studies while off the tour nursing an injury. Landau admired her tenacity and ability to direct her energy and focus into improving her mind while her body healed. That way, after her career as a professional athlete is over, she will have the ability to transition into the workforce and not have to rely on, and live off, her tennis earnings. Virginia Sports Injury Lawyer Doug Landau learned this lesson early on, as he became proficient at stringing tennis rackets while a student at the All American Sports Academy. Landau could earn money even when he was injured and could not play or teach tennis, by stringing rackets and repairing grips

Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary condition is found in an estimated 8 to 10 percent of African-Americans. Sickle-shaped blood cells carry less oxygen and can clog blood vessels that flow to the heart and other muscles.  In 2007, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association recommended that college teams screen athletes for the inherited blood disorder, noting some trainers mistake the injury for heat exhaustion, muscle cramps or heart problems according to an AP report.

At least 10 athletes have died in the past eight years, ranging in age from 12 to 19, according to a study from the association. The study also notes the deaths of 13 college football players at schools that did not test for sickle cell trait or had “a lapse in precautions.”  “The hereditary condition has been linked to heatstroke and exercise-induced collapse” according to the 3/13/09 USA Today Sports section article (”Missouri settles with dead player’s family for $2 million”) discussed in yesterday’s post.

The settlement in the Missouri case discussed in yesterday’s post came the same day a similar lawsuit was filed in Orange County, Florida against the University of Central Florida.  Redshirt Freshman wide receiver Ereck Plancher died after an off season conditioning session.  An autopsy showed that this athlete also had the sickle cell trait.

The University of Missouri has reached a settlement in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of a former football linebacker who collapsed on the field during a 2005 preseason workout according to the AP. The Friday USA Today Sports section reports The Circuit Court judge approved the $2 million settlement that ended a 3-year lawsuit over the collapse and death of the 19-year-old college athlete. (USA Today, 3/13/09) The settlement also requires the University to fund a $250,000 scholarship in the deceased football player Aaron O’Neal’s name.

The lawsuit alleged that school employees failed to take medical precautions required by O’Neal’s carrying of the sickle cell trait. The hereditary condition has been linked to heat stroke and exercise-induced collapse. O’Neal, who was 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, started to struggle with conditioning drills about 45 minutes into the hourlong workout on July 12, 2005. Players wore shorts, T-shirts and cleats but no helmets or pads.

The O’Neal family lawsuit accused the Missouri coach, athletic director, team medical director and 11 trainers and strength coaches of failing to recognize signs of medical distress they say could have prevented O’Neal’s death. The former County medical examiner cited viral meningitis as the cause of death. But the chairman of the university’s pathology department and several outside experts suggested the sickle cell trait contributed. See tomorrow’s post regarding the recommendation by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association for sickle cell screening.