A Team Approach To Athlete Treatment

Kent and Judy Van Leeuwen know that catching touchdown passes doesn’t start when you lace up the cleats under the bright Friday night lights at Timpview High School.
The Van Leeuwens’ three sons lace up first at Utah Valley Sports Medicine Acceleration on the campus of Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. They spend hours improving technique and strength — eventually resulting in better outcomes between the lines on Friday nights.
“Our sons initially looked at just increasing explosiveness off the line,” Kent says. “The program did that and more. It also strengthens the core, giving you more overall strength and greater durability. I think it also prevents injuries.”
The acceleration program is part of a larger commitment by Intermountain to improve sports performance and also rehabilitate and treat injuries more quickly. Intermountain consolidated its various athlete-oriented services into one entity: Utah Valley Sports Medicine, a TOSH affiliate. TOSH (The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital) is Intermountain’s Murray-based complex devoted to treating the needs of all athletes — weekend warriors included.
“This realignment enables us to better coordinate treatments,” says Brent Edgington, with Utah Valley Sports Medicine, a TOSH affiliate. “We have orthopedic surgeons, physicians, physical therapists and others specially trained in treating the needs of athletes.”
Families like the Van Leeuwens are utilizing the services to help their sons and daughters increase speed and strength. An added bonus is that if injuries happen, the doctors know the athlete and understand his or her sports-specific needs and can work for the best results. Doctors and surgeons work together to ensure proper treatment.
Intermountain’s top-of-the-line physical therapists also help to get athletes back in the game.
Another key cog in getting the most out of training and treatment is eating right. The Utah Valley Sports Medicine team also includes nutrition counselors who customize a dietary plan that meets the needs of a given athlete for his or her specific sport.
“It’s really about doing all you can to work and give yourself an edge,” Brent says. “Competition is tight, and we work to help athletes get that edge.”
Intermountain also wants to keep athletes safe, which is why they provide the Concussion Clinic.
Concussions are increasingly being diagnosed as athletes get stronger and faster, creating more violent collisions. Plus, physicians are learning more about causes and treatments for concussions.
The Concussion Clinic — led by neuropsychologist Jim Snyder — performs concussion baseline tests prior to an athlete starting his or her season. These tests, called the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), give doctors an individualized report on the cognitive function of the athlete when he or she is uninjured. Then, after a suspected concussion, that athlete’s diagnosis is compared to the baseline test to see what changes have occurred.
Provo’s Cindy Evenson took her son, Austin, in for the ImPACT assessment and is glad she has that data for future reference.
“There has been so much information on TV and sports shows regarding the effects concussions can have on these young athletes,” she says. “The ImPACT test gives them a way to measure the effect of the concussion and when kids can return to the field.”
It’s just another way Utah Valley Sports Medicine, a TOSH affiliate, watches out for athletes.

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