Heads 'N Tales-Talking Sports Injury Rehab, Preven

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 13 of the 2018 season!

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 12 of the 2018 season!

I have always been more of a dance in the privacy of your own home kind of guy, but some people dance nearly every waking hour of every day. For these individuals, dance is more than just a spontaneous event in their day, its a lifestyle, its a sport and they can never get enough. Just like how professional football, baseball and basketball players dedicate their lives to their craft, elite dancers are no exception. People would be up in arms if there were no sports medicine providers at football, baseball and basketball games, but these services have only recently been afforded to professional dancers. This week I chat with two Athletic Trainers who work with these elite dancers and help to keep them both healthy and performing optimally. Marissa Piloto is the Head ATC for the Brooklynettes Dance Team, Brooklyn Nets Team Hype and Brooklyn Nets Kids Dance Team. Marissa and I go back to our days working as students for the Rutgers Football team. Monica Lorenzo, who is the Head ATC for the Knicks Entertainment Teams, Founder & President of ROMO Fit. Inc also joins us in this episode. It was so much fun learning about the field of dance medicine and the innovations both of these women are working on to bring attention to this underserved population.

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   This week Rutgers Beat Reporter, James Kratch, fills in for Josh. You are currently looking at the show notes for Weeks 10 & 11 of the 2018 season!

Shawn Springs is a retired NFL Corner Back who played in the NFL for an impressive 13 years (with plenty of injuries along the way). He was drafted 3rd overall in the ’97 draft out of The Ohio State University. Most recently he became the Founder and CEO of Windpact (Based in Leesburg, Va.), which is a technology and applied science company that focuses on impact protection. Shawn and his company Windpact have been featured in the Washington Post and were one of the winners in the NFL Play Smart Play Safe HeadHealthTECH challenge. Shawn’s transition to life after football serves as a great example for current athletes and his passion for impact protection is inspiring.

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Weeks 9 of the 2018 season!

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Weeks 8 of the 2018 season!

I was first introduced to Cade and his mother Christine Pinalto by one of my former guests, Dr. Robert Huggins from episode 41. It didn’t take much research on my end to realize that I needed to get these two on the show to highlight Cade’s story (video below) and the amazing work he and Christine are doing for permanently injured athletes through their non-profit, Sidelined USA. Sidelined USA’s mission is to reunite permanently-sidelined athletes with their passions and inspire them to find a meaningful way forward. The inspiration behind this organization came after Cade’s diagnosis of a heart condition, which crushed his dreams of being an elite basketball player when he was only 12 years old. It was amazing to get both athlete and parent perspectives on the grieving process after getting the news that no athlete ever wants to hear, yet so many unfortunately do. I was most impressed with Cade’s maturity for such a young man and I am sure that trait was greatly influenced by his mother. WHERE CAN YOU CONNECT WITH CADE, CHRISTINE & SIDELINED USA? WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PODCAST | CONTACT | PROGRAMS | RESOURCES Download Episode 140 : iTunes | Stitcher

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Weeks 7 of the 2018 season!

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.  Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Weeks 5 & 6 of the 2018 season!

Dr. David Bell is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Dr. Bell earned his B.A. and PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Master’s Degree from the University of Virginia. He teaches in the Athletic Training Program and serves as the director of the Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory. His research is focused on identifying risk factors for knee injury including neuromuscular asymmetries and sport specialization. Additionally, he is focused on improving outcomes after knee surgery including refining rehabilitation strategies, return to activity guidelines, and risk factors for second ACL injuries. He has athletic training clinical experience at the Division I and II levels as well as high school clinic outreach. He has over 35 peer-reviewed publications and 85 abstract presentations. His work has been funded by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association, the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine, and the American College of Sports Medicine. He was named the 2017 New Investigator of the Year for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research and Education Foundation. His research was awarded the 2017 STOP Sports Injuries Award for best research paper on youth sports injury prevention at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. In episode 139, the focus of our conversation surrounds the concept of sport specialization in youth athletics and the research aiming to prevent the very injuries we talk about week in a and week out.

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 4 of the 2018 season!

Chris Flo is an Athletic Trainer, Founder of Flo Fitness, Creator of the Rooted Rehab Certification for Athletic Trainers and is an Animal Flow Master Instructor. I first met Chris when I delivered the 2017 Keynote speech at the ATSNJ Conference. We recently reconnected after I posted the Instagram video (below), which featured Washington Redskins Tight End Jordan Reed (who is coming off a foot surgery) performing the Animal Flow movement called a crab reach. The reason I initially felt compelled to repost the video was because I thought is was a display of toughness. Here is a guy who is doing whatever he needs to do to get his body right before he goes out on the field and he doesn’t care how he looks. After seeing my post , Chris reached out to give me some more information on Animal Flow and we decided to collaborate on this episode to teach you all about the various benefits of Animal Flow, which includes injury prevention.

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 3 of the 2018 season!

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 2 of the 2018 season!

Carley Horan is a former USC lacrosse player, Nutritionist and Coach. I first met Carley when I was working as a rehab aide in a physical therapy practice and she was receiving treatment for a back injury while she was back on the East Coast over break. I remember being asked to put her through some CrossFit-like workouts and it didn’t take long for me to notice that she was a machine. Some athletes just have an “it” factor to them and Carley was definitely one of those special athletes that are a coaches dream. She was definitely one of those players that would run through a brick wall for you if you asked her to. However, in the absence of non-competitive outlets, it is easy for driven and determined athletes like Carley to breakdown physically, mentally and emotionally. In this interview we dissect this athlete mentality and provide suggestions on finding a healthier balance with sport, social life, academics and other hobbies. Carley’s last season playing college lacrosse was in the spring of 2016, so she has had plenty of time to reflect on her athletic career. Carley recently earned her masters degree in nutrition and is working hard toward becoming a Register Dietitian, so we also explore how we can prevent injuries through nutrition. Carley is currently teaching Yoga and Spin at Ride + Reflect in Morristown, NJ and also coaches lacrosse. WHERE CAN YOU CONNECT WITH CARLEY ONLINE? INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | LINKEDIN Download Episode 137 : iTunes | Stitcher

Joe Lemire is a Senior Writer at SportTechie and he recently compiled a series of articles dedicated to NFL safety technology.  The first story of the four part series is titled "The Data Behind the Helmet Rule." Joe and I spent some time discussing what went into the NFL's decision to implement the new rule despite unfavorable reactions from players, coaches and fans.  In this episode Joe tells us about his conversations with top NFL and NFL Players Association Executives, leading researchers from some of the top universities in the country and NFL players. SportTechie is the world’s leading resource devoted to the burgeoning intersection of sports and technology. They cover the latest technological innovations, ideas, and products that impact the fan experience, player performance, and sports industry as a whole.  They report the cutting-edge developments with in-depth analysis and exclusive interviews to educate fans and industry experts alike. They exist to analyze and illuminate the growing number of ways technology is evolving sports. WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO IN PART TWO, THREE AND FOUR OF THIS SERIES? A BROADER LOOK AT THE ENGINEERING ROADMAP, CROWD SOURCING AND INNOVATIONS IN DATA COLLECTION WHERE CAN YOU FIND MORE ARTICLES FROM SPORTTECHIE? FACEBOOK LINKEDIN TWITTER YOUTUBE WHERE CAN YOU CONNECT WITH JOE ONLINE? LINKEDIN TWITTER INSTAGRAM Download Episode: iTunes | Stitcher       

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Week 1 of the 2018 season!

After each week of NFL football games for the 2018- 2019 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.   The strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd.  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.   Dr. Wazim Buksh "Waz" is the newest member to the Heads 'N Tales team and has been a long time friend of mine.   Waz will serve as the medical expert in these recordings to give you the most realistic expectations for when your favorite players go down with an injury and what their road to recovery will look like.  Dr. Buksh is board certified in both Internal and Sports Medicine. Waz completed his sports medicine fellowship with the New York Jets medical staff in 2014. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for Preseason 2018!

136 : Sports Are Rooted in Failure and That's Not a Bad Thing w/ My HS Math Teacher, Bill Librera   Bill Librera has served as a high school athletic director for 7 years and coached for 10 years before that. Bill was also my high school math teacher at West Morris Central and had a profound impact on my academic experience.  Before high school I was a C-D student who put very little effort toward my school work.  After breaking my collarbone in my freshman year, I began going into school early to meet with Bill for extra help and unknowingly set the foundation for building an identity outside of sports.  In the wake of the events with the University of Maryland football program and Urban Myers recent suspension, Bill and I explore the current paradigm shift in athletics in regard to what builds toughness and leads to success both on and off the field.