The team at our new Sports Medicine Clinic at the Spine Institute Northwest has been busy this winter not only working with patients, but also using their skills and expertise to help improve the safety and wellness of local athletes. Bim Makinde MD, Cyd Marckmann ARNP, and Seth Miller ATC have spent time working with athletes in many different sports — here’s just a sample of what they’ve been up to.
This February, the team partnered with ATI Physical Therapy to provide sports medicine coverage at the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state high school gymnastics championships. In addition to helping the athletes get ready — you can see Seth wrapping one gymnast’s ankle prior to the event — the team also helped provide coverage at each apparatus. Gymnastics may not be the first sport that comes to mind when you think of sports medicine, but with the amount of training required and the sheer physicality of the performance, it’s vital for gymnasts to be vigilant about both acute injuries and issues caused by repetitive stress.
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Dr. Bim, Nurse Cyd, and Seth again partnered with ATI Physical Therapy to provide sideline coverage for the WIAA state high school basketball championships this March. They helped ensure players’ safety during the 3A and 4A tournaments.
Early in March, our Sports Medicine pros took part in a cardiac screening event at Glacier Peak High School in partnership with the Nick of Time Foundation. This organization is dedicated to raising awareness and working to prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest in children and young adults. In addition to the screening event, Nick of Time also helps bring public access defibrillators to schools and communities, participates in scientific research, and provides education to students, parents, and community members. At the Glacier Peak High event, the Spine Institute Northwest team helped to perform heart screens for over 500 student athletes.
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The Spine Institute Northwest Sports Medicine staff doesn’t just assist student athletes. Our team performed health screenings during the 2016 combine for the Puyallup Nation Kings. The team is part of the semi-professional Western Washington Football Alliance, a league of teams from throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Bim, Nurse Cyd, and Seth are all devoted to helping athletes of all ages and across all sports play healthy via proper prevention and expert intervention. In addition, they provide excellent rehabilitative services for our minimally invasive spine surgery patients. Want to learn more about the Sports Medicine Clinic at the Spine Institute Northwest? Call the Clinic at 253-313-1801.