Like many electives, sports medicine will either run or not run as a class depending on student sign-ups each spring. Numbers were down in the past three years and it didn’t run, but with more sign-ups this year, it’s running again.
As a practical class for student-athletes, sports medicine, taught by Amy Obernour, digs in-depth into common sports-related injuries, detailing their causes and teaching techniques for prevention and treatment.
Student athletes, such as senior volleyball player Emerson Pak, were quick to join the elective. Pak said the class teaches her a lot of useful insights she can apply in her own life.
“I play volleyball, so I often strain a lot of my muscles and jam my fingers,” Pak said. “Learning how to tape my hands and other joints will be really helpful for me to do my best when I’m playing.”
The class is mostly hands-on, with students learning different injury treatments each day. Currently, students’ main focus has been the practice of taping, a technique that athletes use to prevent and treat muscle strains. Taping involves using a special type of therapeutic tape on certain muscles and joints to reinforce them.
In addition, Obenour engages students in more dynamic, hands-on activities, rather than static, seated lectures. For instance, students practice applying the therapeutic tape to their classmates’ wrists to learn how to mitigate the risk of further straining them after an injury.
Since the start of the school year, there has not been any assigned homework or tests. However, Obenour noted that she plans to give tests in the future, but isn’t yet sure how to structure these exams due to the class’s loose structure.
“The class is really unique because it’s super slow paced,” Pak said. “It’s like trying to build a community instead of just throwing material at us and hoping we understand what a textbook is saying.”
