All for the kids

One would be hard-pressed to find a bigger Wasilla High School sports fan than Dr. Dan Larson on a Friday afternoon before a home football game.

Sporting Warrior colors — black slacks, a crisp red shirt and red and black tie — Larson was prepared for his usual fall ritual as the team’s physician. He arrives early to tape all the athletes, treats and advises them during and after the game (and practices as well).

It’s a ritual followed by Larson and the other doctors at Larson Chiropractic, who collectively donate thousands of hours and thousands in cash to the Valley’s high school sports programs. They’re all volunteer, do not take a penny from the schools and even pay their own travel expenses to accompany teams from Wasilla, Palmer, Colony and Houston high schools. The business also purchases all the athletic wrapping material and tape — by the pallet.

Larson began volunteering to treat local athletics when his own children participated.

Frontiersman: How did you get involved doing sports medicine for the Valley’s high schools?

Larson: Here’s one of the reasons we’re doing what we’re doing. I raised nine kids, my wife and I did, and they all were involved in sports, and most of them went to Wasilla High School. The coaches did (it at that time). Because I had skill in that department and I was there anyway, I started volunteering at Wasilla High School. Out of that effort, I did football, basketball and what I could of wrestling. … I saw a need that wasn’t being filled, so I volunteered and got some additional certification for sports injuries.

F: How has sports medicine evolved over the years?

L: I think it’s evolved a lot and it continues to evolve. We use particular techniques that are new that a lot of the colleges and pro teams don’t use, particularly with ankle treatment, like sprained ankles. We expect a sprained ankle to be back on the field within a week.

F: What’s your take on multi-sport athletes?

L: Very, very challenging. We treat a number of multi-sport athletes and it’s challenging for our athletes here because the sports are so tightly compartmented together. As soon as football’s over, they’re into fall league basketball, same for the wrestlers. They hardly have a week off.

F: What are the do’s and don’ts for young pitchers?

L: Now, fortunately, we have a count system for a number of pitches that’s set by the Little League organizations. Pitchers are not supposed to throw more that many pitches (75) because of the injuries that were occurring, particularly elbow injuries. What happens is you tear the growth center off the rest of the bone. Those are absolutely great rules.

F: What can athletes do to reduce the risk for being hurt or injured?

L: The biggest factor we see with high school athletes is hydration issues. Connective tissue injuries relate a ton to hydration. When we get dehydrated, our tissues lose their stretchability, their flexibility. What happens is we start to acquire secondary soft-tissue injuries secondary to hydration. … Here’s what I tell the athletes: drink before practice, drink during practice, drink after practice. When you get home, you drink until you pee. You get a glass of water — not soda — you need water. Then we tell them to eat right. Get rid of all that garbage in their diet. You want healthy tissue, eat healthy food.

F: What’s the difference between being injured and hurt?

L: Lots of players are hurt as they go through the process of playing. Wrestlers, I think, are hurt most of the time. Football players are hurt a lot of the time. That means they have sore muscles, they have bruises and dings and scratches and scrapes. Being injured is when they can’t function at the level expected to play. That injury won’t let you do that. A fracture, most cases, eliminates you from play. When you’re injured, you can’t function because of pain or because you’re too weak.

F: What are some of the most common school sports injuries?

L: We see, probably, somewhere around 150 to 170 sprained ankles a year in our office. The most common things that hurt are muscle injuries: deep quad bruises, hamstring tears, shin splints.

F: Why so involved with local high school sports long after your own kids have graduated?

L: I just can’t quit. It’s all about the kids. I get so much of a thrill out of seeing them successful, and I feel like when I’m there I can contribute something no one else can.

F: How difficult is it when you see a player go down and you know they’re really injured?

L: It’s always difficult, but my role is I immediately switch to a different mode. My heart’s sick, but I call it being in my clinical mode. When Adrese LaVern was hit last year and just shattered his arm, that was my player. I was first on the field with him and I knew right away what was wrong with him. I supported him, stabilized him, talked positive to him, splinted him. You have to get your emotions out of the way and you have to stay focused. There’s no panic ever. In our office, every year we drill in taking care of the most catastrophic of injuries.

F: What can parents do to help their student athletes?

L: The biggest role parents can have is communication. Are you hydrated? Are you eating right? Are you keeping up with your studies? It always comes down to communication, being in touch with your kid and being there for your kid. The saddest thing I see are kids who are great athletes and there’s no parent involved.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.