PVCC trainer cares for Pumas
By Gregg Hillhouse, November 2009
Staff Writer
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Photo by Gregg Hillhouse
Paradise Valley trainer Rick Wade spends a great amount of time in his office and the training room at the fitness center. |
Athletic trainer Rick Wade deals with a variety of injuries from all Paradise Valley Community College athletes.
In his third year at PVCC, Wade attends every home game for every sport. In general, muscle strains and strained Achilles are the most common injuries for PVCC athletes, Wade says. In addition, the sport that bares the most injuries is track and field.
“There are a lot of leg injuries, the most common of these being hamstring injuries because even the most minor injury can make a big difference in the athletes performance,” says Wade.
In order to strengthen some of the weaker parts of the body, the most common methods to work on are your flexibility and stretching. In most cases when athletes are hurt, they will go through a rehab program. The rehab will usually last anywhere from one-to-three weeks, although many athletes will come in just to prevent an injury from occurring. The busiest times of the day for Wade range from 1 to 4 in the afternoon, due in large part to all of the teams practicing at once.
Wade has seen athletes of all ages, including a 26-year-old soccer athlete and a 46-year-old female tennis player. He says he’s seeing a lot of soccer players and runners this semester as soccer and cross country are in season.
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